The relationship between agency, communion, and neural processes associated with conforming to social influence

Social influence is ubiquitous in our daily lives, influencing our opinions, beliefs, and behaviors. Individual differences may determine who is most likely to conform to the opinions of others. More specifically, individual differences in interdependent and independent self-construal determine an individual's sensitivity to and focus on their social surroundings. Relatedly, society traditionally ascribes and prescribes different levels of agency (independence) and communion (interdependence) to men and women. Here, we examined how individual differences in self-construal, and their congruence with gender expectations, influence how people process and respond to social feedback. Results from independent behavioral and neuroimaging samples show that a stronger interdependent self-construal was associated with increased likelihood of conformity, whereas an independent self-construal was not. Further, neuroimaging data suggests that the relationship between brain activity and conformity is moderated by the congruence of gender stereotypes and self-construal. Specifically, stereotypically congruent women (with stronger interdependence) and men (with stronger independence) showed increased activity in mentalizing regions (and value regions in men) when conforming. Stereotypically incongruent women (with stronger independence) and men (with stronger interdependence) showed decreased mentalizing activity when conforming. These results shed light on underlying (neuro)psychological mechanisms that are associated with conformity among different groups

Genetic screening of an endemic mutation in the DYSF gene in an isolated, mountainous population in the Republic of Dagestan

Abstract Background Dysferlinopathy has a high prevalence in relatively isolated ethnic groups where consanguineous marriages are characteristic and/or the founder effect exists. However, the frequency of endemic mutations in most isolates has not been investigated. Methods The prevalence of the pathological DYSF gene variant (NM_003494.4); c.200_201delinsAT, p. Val67Asp (rs121908957) was investigated in an isolated Avar population in the Republic of Dagestan. Genetic screenings were conducted in a remote mountainous region characterized by a high level of consanguinity among its inhabitants. In total, 746 individuals were included in the screenings. Results This pathological DYSF gene variant causes two primary phenotypes of dysferlinopathy: limb‐girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) type R2 and Miyoshi muscular dystrophy type 1. Results indicated a high prevalence of the allele at 14% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 12–17; 138 out of 1518 alleles), while the allele in the homozygous state was detected in 29 cases—3.8% (CI: 2.6–5.4). The population load for dysferlinopathy was 832.3 ± 153.9 per 100,000 with an average prevalence of limb‐girdle muscular dystrophies ranging from 0.38 ± 0.38 to 5.93 ± 1.44 per 100,000. Conclusion A significant burden of the allele was due to inbreeding, as evidenced by a deficiency of heterozygotes and the Wright fixation index equal to 0.14 (CI 0.06–0.23)