Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41250621›Full record

ArticleeLife2025

Mother-child dyadic interactions shape the developing social brain and Theory of Mind in young children.

Lei Li, Jinming Xiao, Weixing Zhao, Qingyu Zheng, Xinyue Huang, Xiaolong Shan, Yating Ming, Peng Wang, Zhen Wu, Huafu Chen and 2 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in eLife, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Lei LiThe Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Jinming XiaoThe Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Weixing ZhaoThe Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Qingyu ZhengSchool of Healthcare Technology, Chengdu Neusoft University, Chengdu, China.
Xinyue HuangThe Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Xiaolong ShanThe Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Yating MingThe Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Peng WangThe Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Zhen WuDepartment of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
Huafu ChenThe Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Vinod MenonDepartments of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Neurology & Neurological Sciences, Wu Tsai Neuroscience Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, United States.
Xujun DuanThe Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8543-2117

Funding

Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities ZYGX2019Z017National Natural Science Foundation of China 62036003National Natural Science Foundation of China 62273076National Natural Science Foundation of China 82121003National Natural Science Foundation of China 82322035National Social Science Fund of China 20&ZD296
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Social cognition develops through a complex interplay between neural maturation and environmental factors, yet the neurobehavioral mechanisms underlying this process remain unclear. Using a naturalistic fMRI paradigm, we investigated the effects of age and parental caregiving on social brain development and Theory of Mind (ToM) in 34 mother-child dyads. The functional maturity of social brain networks was positively associated with age, while mother-child neural synchronization during movie viewing was related to dyadic relationship quality. Crucially, parenting and child factors interactively shaped social cognition outcomes, mediated by ToM abilities. Our findings demonstrate the dynamic interplay of neurocognitive development and interpersonal synchrony in early childhood social cognition, and provide novel evidence for neurodevelopmental plasticity and reciprocal determinism. This integrative approach, bridging brain, behavior, and parenting environment, advances our understanding of the complex mechanisms shaping social cognition. The insights gained can inform personalized interventions promoting social competence, emphasizing the critical importance of nurturing parental relationships in facilitating healthy social development.

Indexed as

BrainChild DevelopmentMother-Child RelationsSocial CognitionTheory of MindAdultChildChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMalefMRIhumaninter-subject synchronizationneuroscienceparent-child relationshipsocial cognitionTheory of Mind

Identifiers

PMID41250621
PMCPMC12626422

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.