HealthyEXPERTISE-SOCNCT07112027
Exploring the Relationship Between Social Expertise and Ability to Process Different Types of Abstract Concepts and the Neural Resources Allocated to Their Processing
A study testing Behavioral and MR scanning in people with Healthy, run by Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele at 1 site in Italy.
Trial summary
Social interaction is supported by several brain regions, which are involved in encoding socio-perceptual information, attributing affective and mental states to other conspecifics, and ultimately enabling the orchestration of an appropriate response. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 25 to 50 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Healthy
- What is being tested?
- Behavioral and MR scanning
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 84 participants
- Where
- 1 siteItaly
- Study dates
- Aug 2025to Feb 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 25 to 50 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Participant is willing and able to give informed consent for participation in the study
- Male or female, aged between 25 and 50 years
- Right-handed dominance
- Normal vision or hypo-vision corrected with contact lenses
- Participant must have different levels of social expertise, in order to be assigned to one of the following groups: (1) participants with subclinical social skills dysfunction, parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, (2) participants with no specific social expertise, and (3) participants with high social expertise, namely social media influencers and politicians.
Who cannot join
- Clinical and/or anamnestic evidence of neurological, psychiatric, or systemic disorders
- Drug addiction and/or abuse of neuroactive drugs;
- Contraindications and incompatibilities with MRI, and specifically presence of para-magnetic or ferro-magnetic metal body prostheses; presence of permanent biomedical implants (e.g., pacemakers, neuro-stimulators); pregnancy status; claustrophobia. Pregnancy status will be self-reported by the participants.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Italy1 site
Centro Eccellenza Risonanza Magnetica ad Alto Campo (CERMAC)
Milan, MI, 20132
About this study
Official title: Exploration of the Neural Correlates of Social Expertise: an Fmri Study Comparing Healthy Individuals With Different Levels and Types of Expertise
Social interaction is supported by several brain regions, which are involved in encoding socio-perceptual information, attributing affective and mental states to other conspecifics, and ultimately enabling the orchestration of an appropriate response. In this view, cognitive control mechanisms are necessary to select relevant information, allocate resources, and generate inferences. There is a close link between the mechanisms underlying social cognition and social conceptual knowledge, relating, for example, to abstract concepts such as "friendship". For example, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show impairments in social interactions, and also in the ability to use all those abstract concepts that relate to internal states of the individual as well as to interactions between people.
Behavioral studies have shown how experience can impact the characterization of abstract concepts, influencing their personal, introspective, and contextual characteristics. Neuroimaging studies have also reported that, through mechanisms of brain plasticity, experience modulates neural networks shared with non-experts (e.g., by increasing brain volume and/or functional activity), but can also lead to the recruitment of additional brain resources, thus enriching the knowledge gained by experts. To date, the role of different types and levels of expertise in influencing the neural representation of specific categories of abstract concepts, and in particular social concepts, has not yet been fully elucidated.
Read the detailed description
As human beings, we are embedded in social contexts, whether physical or virtual, that shape our brains throughout our lives, boosting our development, cognition and well-being. For us, interacting with others is an extremely simple thing, but it is actually one of the most complex computations our brains can perform. Indeed, when interacting with others, several regions of the brain are activated in order to encode socio-perceptual information, to attribute mental states to the interlocutors, and finally to trigger appropriate responses. Social interaction engages also by brain regions supporting social conceptual knowledge, relating, for example, to abstract concepts such as "friendship". Crucially, conceptual knowledge acquisition and organization are sustained by language. The mechanisms underlying social cognition and social conceptual knowledge are closely linked. This link relates, for example, to abstract concepts such as "friendship." For example, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show impairments in social interactions and in the ability to use abstract concepts related to internal states of the individual as well as to interactions between people. Behavioral studies have shown how experience can impact the characterization of abstract concepts. This impact influences their personal, introspective, and contextual characteristics. Neuroimaging studies have also reported that experience modulates neural networks shared with non-experts. This happens through mechanisms of brain plasticity. Examples include increasing brain volume and/or functional activity. However, experience can also lead to the recruitment of additional brain resources. This enriches the knowledge gained by experts. Proficiency in a second language is another example of lifelong experience. Successful mastery of a second language requires the ability to switch between languages, inhibiting the unnecessary language and selecting the necessary one during interaction. Thus, second language proficiency modulates cognitive control functions and underlying neural structures and may influence social decision-making. The question of whether and how second language knowledge modulates the semantic control network is currently debated. The role of different types and levels of expertise in influencing the neural representation of specific categories of abstract concepts, particularly social concepts, has yet to be fully elucidated.
- Conditions
- Healthy
- Being tested
- Behavioral and MR scanning
- Keywords
- volounteers with different levels of social expertise
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Behavioral and MR scanningOther
After enrollment, participants will be screened on the basis of the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Subsequently, during the single study, participants will be administered a series of questionnaires (Edinburgh Handedness Inventory - Short Form; Evaluation of social related abilities, competences, and traits: Autism Quotient Test, DASS-21, SIAS, DERS, Ekman test; SET; I-TIPI, and conceptual ratings on semantic dimensions (moral, social, political). Then, an MR acquisition without contrast will be performed. Specifically, we will acquire structural, resting state and functional (BOLD) sequences, in the latter case during the administration of a semantic categorization task. The task is aimed to ascertain participants' responses time and accuracy in processing abstract concepts. Participants will be required to indicate the category of each of the visually presented words by means of button press. The study visit will last 3 hours in total.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Behavioral and MR imaging | Experimental | After enrollment, participants will be screened on the basis of the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Subsequently, during the single study, participants will be administered a series of questionnaires (Edinburgh Handedness Inventory - Short Form; Evaluation of social related abilities, competences, and traits: Autism Quotient Test, DASS-21, SIAS, DERS, Ekman test; SET; I-TIPI, and conceptual ratings on semantic dimensions (moral, social, political). Then, an MR acquisition without contrast will be performed. Specifically, we will acquire structural, resting state and functional (BOLD) sequences, in the latter case during the administration of a semantic categorization task. The task is aimed to ascertain participants' responses time and accuracy in processing abstract concepts. Participants will be required to indicate the category of each of the visually presented words by means of button press. The study visit will last 3 hours in total. Receives: Other: Behavioral and MR scanning |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Correlation between participants' accuracy rate and BOLD signal
Evaluate whether and how social expertise modulate the neural representation of different types of abstract concepts, and in particular social concepts.
Measured: baseline
Secondary outcomes (1)
Correlation between participants' accuracy rate and scores in Autism Quotient Test, DASS-21, SIAS, DERS, Ekman test, SET and I-TIPI
Evaluate whether and how individual affective and social characteristics modulate the characterization and the neural representation of different types of abstract concepts, and in particular social concepts.
Measured: baseline
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted8 Aug 2025
- Study startAug 2025 (estimated)
- Primary completionNov 2025 (estimated)
- Study completionFeb 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (10)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for HealthyStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Factorial
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 84 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Jubin Abutalebi, Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07112027
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- EXPERTISE-SOC
- Other IDs
- 2022YJA4TB
- Acronym
- EXPERTISE-SOC
- Status last verified
- Aug 2025
- First submitted
- 9 Jul 2025
- Last updated
- 8 Aug 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided
Publications
Buchweitz A, Shinkareva SV, Mason RA, Mitchell TM, Just MA. Identifying bilingual semantic neural representations across languages. Brain Lang. 2012 Mar;120(3):282-9. doi: 10.1016/j.bandl.2011.09.003. Epub 2011 Oct 5.
PubMed 21978845Abutalebi J, Della Rosa PA, Ding G, Weekes B, Costa A, Green DW. Language proficiency modulates the engagement of cognitive control areas in multilinguals. Cortex. 2013 Mar;49(3):905-11. doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2012.08.018. Epub 2012 Sep 1.
PubMed 23021069Del Maschio, N., Abutalebi, J., Schwieter, J., & Paradis, M. Language Organization in the Bilingual and Multilingual Brain. 2019 Feb; pp. 197-213. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119387725.ch9
Borghi AM, Binkofski F, Castelfranchi C, Cimatti F, Scorolli C, Tummolini L. The challenge of abstract concepts. Psychol Bull. 2017 Mar;143(3):263-292. doi: 10.1037/bul0000089. Epub 2017 Jan 16.
PubMed 28095000Bang J, Burns J, Nadig A. Brief report: Conveying subjective experience in conversation: production of mental state terms and personal narratives in individuals with high functioning autism. J Autism Dev Disord. 2013 Jul;43(7):1732-40. doi: 10.1007/s10803-012-1716-4.
PubMed 23179342Baez S, Garcia AM, Ibanez A. The Social Context Network Model in Psychiatric and Neurological Diseases. Curr Top Behav Neurosci. 2017;30:379-396. doi: 10.1007/7854_2016_443.
PubMed 27130326Conca F, Catricala E, Canini M, Petrini A, Vigliocco G, Cappa SF, Della Rosa PA. In search of different categories of abstract concepts: a fMRI adaptation study. Sci Rep. 2021 Nov 19;11(1):22587. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-02013-8.
PubMed 34799624Binney RJ, Ramsey R. Social Semantics: The role of conceptual knowledge and cognitive control in a neurobiological model of the social brain. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2020 May;112:28-38. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.01.030. Epub 2020 Jan 23.
PubMed 31982602Adolphs R. Conceptual challenges and directions for social neuroscience. Neuron. 2010 Mar 25;65(6):752-67. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2010.03.006.
PubMed 20346753Wolf SM, Paradise J, Caga-anan C. The law of incidental findings in human subjects research: establishing researchers' duties. J Law Med Ethics. 2008 Summer;36(2):361-83, 214. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-720X.2008.00281.x.
PubMed 18547206
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 8 Aug 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Exploration of the Neural Correlates of Social Expertise: an Fmri Study Comparing Healthy Individuals With Different Levels and Types of Expertise
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07112027
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- EXPERTISE-SOC / EXPERTISE-SOC
- Conditions
- Healthy
- Keywords
- volounteers with different levels of social expertise
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 84 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Università Vita-Salute San RaffaeleUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- Aug 2025 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- Nov 2025 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Feb 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 8 Aug 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Social interaction is supported by several brain regions, which are involved in encoding socio-perceptual information, attributing affective and mental states to other conspecifics, and ultimately enabling the orchestration of an appropriate response. In this view, cognitive control mechanisms are necessary to select relevant information, allocate resources, and generate inferences. There is a close link between the mechanisms underlying social cognition and social conceptual knowledge, relating, for example, to abstract concepts such as "friendship". For example, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show impairments in social interactions, and also in the ability to use all those abstract concepts that relate to internal states of the individual as well as to interactions between people.
Behavioral studies have shown how experience can impact the characterization of abstract concepts, influencing their personal, introspective, and contextual characteristics. Neuroimaging studies have also reported that, through mechanisms of brain plasticity, experience modulates neural networks shared with non-experts (e.g., by increasing brain volume and/or functional activity), but can also lead to the recruitment of additional brain resources, thus enriching the knowledge gained by experts. To date, the role of different types and levels of expertise in influencing the neural representation of specific categories of abstract concepts, and in particular social concepts, has not yet been fully elucidated.
Detailed description
As human beings, we are embedded in social contexts, whether physical or virtual, that shape our brains throughout our lives, boosting our development, cognition and well-being. For us, interacting with others is an extremely simple thing, but it is actually one of the most complex computations our brains can perform. Indeed, when interacting with others, several regions of the brain are activated in order to encode socio-perceptual information, to attribute mental states to the interlocutors, and finally to trigger appropriate responses. Social interaction engages also by brain regions supporting social conceptual knowledge, relating, for example, to abstract concepts such as "friendship". Crucially, conceptual knowledge acquisition and organization are sustained by language. The mechanisms underlying social cognition and social conceptual knowledge are closely linked. This link relates, for example, to abstract concepts such as "friendship." For example, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show impairments in social interactions and in the ability to use abstract concepts related to internal states of the individual as well as to interactions between people. Behavioral studies have shown how experience can impact the characterization of abstract concepts. This impact influences their personal, introspective, and contextual characteristics. Neuroimaging studies have also reported that experience modulates neural networks shared with non-experts. This happens through mechanisms of brain plasticity. Examples include increasing brain volume and/or functional activity. However, experience can also lead to the recruitment of additional brain resources. This enriches the knowledge gained by experts. Proficiency in a second language is another example of lifelong experience. Successful mastery of a second language requires the ability to switch between languages, inhibiting the unnecessary language and selecting the necessary one during interaction. Thus, second language proficiency modulates cognitive control functions and underlying neural structures and may influence social decision-making. The question of whether and how second language knowledge modulates the semantic control network is currently debated. The role of different types and levels of expertise in influencing the neural representation of specific categories of abstract concepts, particularly social concepts, has yet to be fully elucidated.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Factorial
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Behavioral and MR imaging | Experimental | Other: Behavioral and MR scanningAfter enrollment, participants will be screened on the basis of the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Subsequently, during the single study, participants will be administered a series of questionnaires (Edinburgh Handedness Inventory - Short Form; Evaluation of social related abilities, competences, and traits: Autism Quotient Test, DASS-21, SIAS, DERS, Ekman test; SET; I-TIPI, and conceptual ratings on semantic dimensions (moral, social, political). Then, an MR acquisition without contrast will be performed. Specifically, we will acquire structural, resting state and functional (BOLD) sequences, in the latter case during the administration of a semantic categorization task. The task is aimed to ascertain participants' responses time and accuracy in processing abstract concepts. Participants will be required to indicate the category of each of the visually presented words by means of button press. The study visit will last 3 hours in total. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 25 to 50 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Participant is willing and able to give informed consent for participation in the study
- Male or female, aged between 25 and 50 years
- Right-handed dominance
- Normal vision or hypo-vision corrected with contact lenses
- Participant must have different levels of social expertise, in order to be assigned to one of the following groups: (1) participants with subclinical social skills dysfunction, parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, (2) participants with no specific social expertise, and (3) participants with high social expertise, namely social media influencers and politicians.
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Clinical and/or anamnestic evidence of neurological, psychiatric, or systemic disorders
- Drug addiction and/or abuse of neuroactive drugs;
- Contraindications and incompatibilities with MRI, and specifically presence of para-magnetic or ferro-magnetic metal body prostheses; presence of permanent biomedical implants (e.g., pacemakers, neuro-stimulators); pregnancy status; claustrophobia. Pregnancy status will be self-reported by the participants.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Behavioral and MR scanningAfter enrollment, participants will be screened on the basis of the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Subsequently, during the single study, participants will be administered a series of questionnaires (Edinburgh Handedness Inventory - Short Form; Evaluation of social related abilities, competences, and traits: Autism Quotient Test, DASS-21, SIAS, DERS, Ekman test; SET; I-TIPI, and conceptual ratings on semantic dimensions (moral, social, political). Then, an MR acquisition without contrast will be performed. Specifically, we will acquire structural, resting state and functional (BOLD) sequences, in the latter case during the administration of a semantic categorization task. The task is aimed to ascertain participants' responses time and accuracy in processing abstract concepts. Participants will be required to indicate the category of each of the visually presented words by means of button press. The study visit will last 3 hours in total. | Other | Behavioral and MR imaging |
Primary outcome
Correlation between participants' accuracy rate and BOLD signal
Time frame: baseline
Evaluate whether and how social expertise modulate the neural representation of different types of abstract concepts, and in particular social concepts.
1 secondary outcome
Correlation between participants' accuracy rate and scores in Autism Quotient Test, DASS-21, SIAS, DERS, Ekman test, SET and I-TIPI
Time frame: baseline
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 8 Aug 2025.
- Background: PubMed 21978845Buchweitz A, Shinkareva SV, Mason RA, Mitchell TM, Just MA. Identifying bilingual semantic neural representations across languages. Brain Lang. 2012 Mar;120(3):282-9. doi: 10.1016/j.bandl.2011.09.003. Epub 2011 Oct 5.
- Background: PubMed 23021069Abutalebi J, Della Rosa PA, Ding G, Weekes B, Costa A, Green DW. Language proficiency modulates the engagement of cognitive control areas in multilinguals. Cortex. 2013 Mar;49(3):905-11. doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2012.08.018. Epub 2012 Sep 1.
- BackgroundDel Maschio, N., Abutalebi, J., Schwieter, J., & Paradis, M. Language Organization in the Bilingual and Multilingual Brain. 2019 Feb; pp. 197-213. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119387725.ch9
- Background: PubMed 28095000Borghi AM, Binkofski F, Castelfranchi C, Cimatti F, Scorolli C, Tummolini L. The challenge of abstract concepts. Psychol Bull. 2017 Mar;143(3):263-292. doi: 10.1037/bul0000089. Epub 2017 Jan 16.
- Background: PubMed 23179342Bang J, Burns J, Nadig A. Brief report: Conveying subjective experience in conversation: production of mental state terms and personal narratives in individuals with high functioning autism. J Autism Dev Disord. 2013 Jul;43(7):1732-40. doi: 10.1007/s10803-012-1716-4.
- Background: PubMed 27130326Baez S, Garcia AM, Ibanez A. The Social Context Network Model in Psychiatric and Neurological Diseases. Curr Top Behav Neurosci. 2017;30:379-396. doi: 10.1007/7854_2016_443.
- Background: PubMed 34799624Conca F, Catricala E, Canini M, Petrini A, Vigliocco G, Cappa SF, Della Rosa PA. In search of different categories of abstract concepts: a fMRI adaptation study. Sci Rep. 2021 Nov 19;11(1):22587. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-02013-8.
- Background: PubMed 31982602Binney RJ, Ramsey R. Social Semantics: The role of conceptual knowledge and cognitive control in a neurobiological model of the social brain. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2020 May;112:28-38. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.01.030. Epub 2020 Jan 23.
- Background: PubMed 20346753Adolphs R. Conceptual challenges and directions for social neuroscience. Neuron. 2010 Mar 25;65(6):752-67. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2010.03.006.
- Background: PubMed 18547206Wolf SM, Paradise J, Caga-anan C. The law of incidental findings in human subjects research: establishing researchers' duties. J Law Med Ethics. 2008 Summer;36(2):361-83, 214. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-720X.2008.00281.x.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Behavioral and MR scanning in people with Healthy, run by Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele at 1 site in Italy.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 8 Aug 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Italy. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Jubin Abutalebi, Specialist in Neurology (+39 3494121184, abutalebi.jubin@hsr.it), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Correlation between participants' accuracy rate and BOLD signal (time frame: baseline). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07112027, which also lists 10 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 8 Aug 2025.