The links between physical activity and prosocial behavior: an fNIRS hyperscanning study.

The prevalence of physically inactive lifestyles in modern society raises concerns about the potential association with poor brain health, particularly in the lateral prefrontal cortex, which is crucial for human prosocial behavior. Here, we explored the relationship between physical activity and prosocial behavior, focusing on potential neural markers, including intra-brain functional connectivity and inter-brain synchrony in the lateral prefrontal cortex. Forty participants, each paired with a stranger, completed two experimental conditions in a randomized order: (i) face-to-face and (ii) face stimulus (eye-to-eye contact with a face stimulus of a fictitious person displayed on the screen). Following each condition, participants played economic games with either their partner or an assumed person displayed on the screen. Neural activity in the lateral prefrontal cortex was recorded by functional near-infrared spectroscopy hyperscanning. Sparse multiset canonical correlation analysis showed that a physically inactive lifestyle was covaried with poorer reciprocity, greater trust, shorter decision-making time, and weaker intra-brain connectivity in the dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex and poorer inter-brain synchrony in the ventral lateral prefrontal cortex. These associations were observed exclusively in the face-to-face condition. Our findings suggest that a physically inactive lifestyle may alter human prosocial behavior by impairing adaptable prosocial decision-making in response to social factors through altered intra-brain functional connectivity and inter-brain synchrony.

Right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex regulates default prosociality preference.

The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex has been shown to be associated with prosocial behavior. However, the direction of this relationship remains controversial. To resolve inconsistencies in the existing literature, we introduced the concept of default prosociality preference and hypothesized that this preference moderates the relationship between gray matter volume in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and prosocial behavior. This study analyzed the data of 168 participants obtained from voxel-based morphometry, 4 types of economic games, and 3 different measures of social value orientation that represent default prosociality preference. Here we show that, in individuals who were consistently classified as proself on the 3 social value orientation measures, gray matter volume in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was positively associated with prosocial behavior. However, in individuals who were consistently classified as prosocial, the direction of this association was vice versa. These results indicate that the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex regulates default prosociality preference.

Association between arginine vasopressin receptor 1A (AVPR1A) polymorphism and inequity aversion.

Although numerous studies have focused on brain functions related to inequity aversion, few have examined its genetic basis. Here, we show the association between estimated inequity aversion and polymorphisms in three genes associated with human sociality. Non-student adult participants took part in five economic game experiments on different days. Disadvantageous inequity aversion (DIA) and advantageous inequity aversion (AIA) were calculated from behavioural responses using Bayesian estimation. We investigated the association between genetic polymorphisms in the oxytocin receptor (OXTR rs53576), arginine vasopressin receptor 1A (AVPR1A RS3) and opioid receptor mu 1 (OPRM1 rs1799971) and inequity aversion. Regarding AVPR1A RS3, participants with the SS genotype had higher AIA than those with the SL or LL genotypes, but no association was found for DIA. Moreover, we observed no aversion associations for OXTR rs53576 or OPRM1 rs1799971. The results suggest that AVPR1A plays an important role in aversion when one's own gain is greater than that of others. Our findings may provide a solid theoretical basis for future studies on the relationship between genetic polymorphisms and inequity aversion.

Childhood exercise predicts response inhibition in later life via changes in brain connectivity and structure.

Participation in exercise during early life (i.e., childhood through adolescence) enhances response inhibition; however, it is unclear whether participation in exercise during early life positively predicts response inhibition in later life. This historical cohort study was designed to clarify whether participation in exercise (e.g., structured sports participation) during early life predicts response inhibition in adulthood and if so, to reveal the brain connectivity and cortical structures contributing to this association. We analyzed data derived from 214 participants (women = 104, men = 110; age: 26‒69 years). Results indicated that participation in exercise during childhood (before entering junior high school; ≤ 12 years old) significantly predicted better response inhibition. No such association was found if exercise participation took place in early adolescence or later (junior high school or high school; ≥ 12 years old). The positive association of exercise participation during childhood with response inhibition was moderated by decreased structural and functional connectivity in the frontoparietal (FPN), cingulo-opercular (CON), and default mode networks (DMN), and increased inter-hemispheric structural networks. Greater cortical thickness and lower levels of dendritic arborization and density in the FPN, CON, and DMN also moderated this positive association. Our results suggest that participation in exercise during childhood positively predicts response inhibition later in life and that this association can be moderated by changes in neuronal circuitry, such as increased cortical thickness and efficiency, and strengthened inter-hemispheric connectivity.

Fluid dynamics analyses of the intrahepatic portal vein tributaries using 7-T MRI.

BACKGROUND: Assessing portal vein (PV) hemodynamics is an essential part of liver disease management/liver surgery, yet the optimal methods of assessing intrahepatic PV flow have not yet been established. This study investigated the usefulness of 7-Tesla MRI with hemodynamic analysis for detecting small flow changes within narrow intrahepatic PV branches. METHODS: Flow data in the main PV was obtained by two methods, two-dimensional cine phase contrast-MRI (2D cine PC-MRI) and three-dimensional non-cine phase contrast-MRI (3D PC-MRI). Hemodynamic parameters, such as flow volume rate, flow velocity, and wall shear stress in intrahepatic PV branches were calculated before and after a meal challenge using 3D PC-MRI and hemodynamic analysis. RESULTS: The hemodynamic parameters obtained using 3D PC-MRI and 2D cine PC-MRI were similar. All intrahepatic PV branches were clearly depicted in eight planes, and significant changes in flow volume rate were seen in three planes. Average and maximum velocities, cross-sectional area, and wall shear stress were similar between before and after a meal challenge in all planes. CONCLUSION: 7-Tesla 3D PC-MRI combined with hemodynamic analysis is a promising tool for assessing intrahepatic PV flow and enables future studies in small animals to investigate PV hemodynamics associated with liver disease/postoperative liver recovery.

Identification of the brain networks that contribute to the interaction between physical function and working memory: An fMRI investigation with over 1,000 healthy adults.

There is a growing consensus regarding the positive relationship between physical function and working memory; however, explanations of task-evoked functional activity regarding this relationship and its differences in physical function domains remain controversial. This study illustrates the cross-sectional relationships between cardiorespiratory fitness, gait speed, hand dexterity, and muscular strength with working memory task (N-back task) performance and the mediating effects of task-evoked functional activity in 1033 adults aged between 22 and 37 years. The results showed that cardiorespiratory fitness and hand dexterity were independently associated with N-back task performance to a greater extent and in contrast to gait speed and muscular strength. These relationships were mediated by task-evoked functional activity in a part of the frontoparietal network (FPN) and default mode network (DMN). Superior cardiorespiratory fitness could contribute to working memory performance by enhancing the compensational role of FPN-related broader region activation. Hand dexterity was associated with moderation of the interaction in terms of task-evoked activation between the FPN and DMN, which in turn, improved N-back task performance. Based on these findings, we conclude that cardiorespiratory fitness and hand dexterity have common and unique mechanisms enhancing working memory.

Return of the intestinal loop to the abdominal coelom after physiological umbilical herniation in the early fetal period.

The intestine elongates during the early fetal period, herniates into the extraembryonic coelom, and subsequently returns to the abdominal coelom. The manner of herniation is well-known; however, the process by which the intestinal loop returns to the abdomen is not clear. Thus, the present study was designed to document and measure intestinal movements in the early fetal period in three dimensions to elucidate the intestinal loop return process. Magnetic resonance images from human fetuses whose intestinal loops herniated (herniated phase; n = 5) while returning to the abdominal coelom [transition phase; n = 3, crown-rump length (CRL)] 37, 41, and 43 mm] and those whose intestinal loops returned to the abdominal coelom normally (return phase; n = 12) were selected from the Kyoto Collection. Intestinal return began from proximal to distal in samples with CRL of 37 mm. Only the ileum ends were observed in the extraembryonic coelom in samples with CRLs of 41 and 43 mm, whereas the ceca were already located in the abdominal coeloms. The entire intestinal tract had returned to the abdominal coelom in samples with CRL > 43 mm. The intestinal length increased almost linearly with fetal growth irrespective of the phase (R2  = 0.90). The ratio of the intestinal length in the extraembryonic coelom to the entire intestinal length was maximal in samples with CRLs of 32 mm (77%). This ratio rapidly decreased in three of the samples that were in the transition phase. The abdominal volumes increased exponentially (to the third power) during development. The intestinal volumes accounted for 33-41% of the abdominal volumes among samples in the herniated phase. The proportion of the intestine in the abdominal cavity increased, whereas that in the liver decreased, both without any break or plateau. The amount of space available for the intestine by the end of the transition phase was approximately 200 mm3 . The amount of space available for the intestine in the abdominal coelom appeared to be sufficient at the beginning of the return phase in samples with CRLs of approximately 43 mm compared with the maximum intestinal volume available for the extraembryonic coelom in the herniated phase, which was 25.8 mm3 in samples with CRLs of 32 mm. A rapid increase in the space available for the intestine in the abdominal coelom that exceeded the intestinal volume in the extraembryonic coelom generated an inward force, leading to a 'sucked back' mechanism acting as the driving force. The height of the hernia tip increased to 8.9 mm at a maximum fetal CRL of 37 mm. The height of the umbilical ring increased in a stepwise manner between the transition and return phases and its height in the return phase was comparable to or higher than that of the hernia tip during the herniation phase. We surmised that the space was generated in the aforementioned manner to accommodate the herniated portion of the intestine, much like the intestine wrapping into the abdominal coelom as the height of the umbilical ring increased.

Size-tunable MRI-visible nitroxide-based magnetic mixed micelles: preparation, stability, and theranostic application.

Metal-free magnetic mixed micelles (mean diameter: 16 nm) composed of biocompatible surfactant Tween 80 and hydrophobic pyrrolidine-N-oxyl radical were prepared by mixing them in phosphate-buffered saline. The magnetic mixed micelles were characterized by dynamic light scattering and small angle neutron scattering measurements. The stability of the micelles is found to depend on the length of alkyl side chain in the nitroxide compounds and degree of unsaturation in the hydrophobic chain in the surfactant. The size of the mixed micelle can be tuned by changing the molar ratio of Tween 80 and nitroxyl radical. In view of theranostic application of the micelle, the cytotoxicity and stability in a physiological environment was investigated; the mixed micelle exhibited no cytotoxicity, high colloidal stability and high resistance towards reduction by large excess ascorbic acid. The in vitro and in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed sufficient contrast enhancement in the proton longitudinal relaxation time (T 1) weighted images. In addition, hydrophobic fluorophores and an anticancer drug are stably encapsulated in the mixed micelles and showed fluorescence (FL) upon reduction by ascorbic acid and cytotoxicity to cancer cells, respectively. For example, the paclitaxel-loaded mixed micelles efficiently suppressed cancer cell growth. Furthermore, they were found to give higher MRI contrast (higher r 1 value) in vitro than the micelles without paclitaxel. The magnetic mixed micelles presented here are promising theranostic agents in nanomedicine due to their high biocompatibility and high resistivity towards reduction as well as functioning as a drug carrier in therapy and MR or FL imaging probe in diagnosis.

Rawlsian maximin rule operates as a common cognitive anchor in distributive justice and risky decisions.

Distributive justice concerns the moral principles by which we seek to allocate resources fairly among diverse members of a society. Although the concept of fair allocation is one of the fundamental building blocks for societies, there is no clear consensus on how to achieve "socially just" allocations. Here, we examine neurocognitive commonalities of distributive judgments and risky decisions. We explore the hypothesis that people's allocation decisions for others are closely related to economic decisions for oneself at behavioral, cognitive, and neural levels, via a concern about the minimum, worst-off position. In a series of experiments using attention-monitoring and brain-imaging techniques, we investigated this "maximin" concern (maximizing the minimum possible payoff) via responses in two seemingly disparate tasks: third-party distribution of rewards for others, and choosing gambles for self. The experiments revealed three robust results: (i) participants' distributive choices closely matched their risk preferences-"Rawlsians," who maximized the worst-off position in distributions for others, avoided riskier gambles for themselves, whereas "utilitarians," who favored the largest-total distributions, preferred riskier but more profitable gambles; (ii) across such individual choice preferences, however, participants generally showed the greatest spontaneous attention to information about the worst possible outcomes in both tasks; and (iii) this robust concern about the minimum outcomes was correlated with activation of the right temporoparietal junction (RTPJ), the region associated with perspective taking. The results provide convergent evidence that social distribution for others is psychologically linked to risky decision making for self, drawing on common cognitive-neural processes with spontaneous perspective taking of the worst-off position.

Hexaphyrin as a Potential Theranostic Dye for Photothermal Therapy and 19 F Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Two features of meso-Aryl-substituted expanded porphyrins suggest suitability as theranostic agents. They have excellent absorption in near infrared (NIR) region, and they offer the possibility of introduction of multiple fluorine atoms at structurally equivalent positions. Here, hexaphyrin (hexa) was synthesized from 2,6-bis(trifluoromethyl)-4-formyl benzoate and pyrrole and evaluated as a novel expanded porphyrin with the above features. Under NIR illumination hexa showed intense photothermal and weak photodynamic effects, which were most likely due to its low excited states, close to singlet oxygen. The sustained photothermal effect caused ablation of cancer cells more effectively than the photodynamic effect of indocyanine green (a clinical dye). In addition, hexa showed potential for use in the visualization of tumors by 19 F magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), because of the multiple fluorine atoms. Our results strongly support the utility of expanded porphyrins as theranostic agents in both photothermal therapy and 19 F MRI.

Three-dimensional imaging of palatal muscles in the human embryo and fetus: Development of levator veli palatini and clinical importance of the lesser palatine nerve.

BACKGROUND: After palatoplasty, incomplete velopharyngeal closure in speech articulation sometimes persists, despite restoration of deglutition function. The levator veli palatini (LVP) is believed to be significantly involved with velopharyngeal function in articulation; however, the development and innervation of LVP remain obscure. The development of LVP in human embryos and fetuses has not been systematically analyzed using the Carnegie stage (CS) to standardize documentation of development. RESULTS: The anlage of LVP starts to develop at CS 21 beneath the aperture of the auditory tube (AT) to the pharynx. At CS 23, LVP runs along AT over its full length, as evidenced by three-dimensional image reconstruction. In the fetal stage, the lesser palatine nerve (LPN) is in contact with LVP. CONCLUSIONS: The positional relationship between LVP and AT three-dimensionally, suggesting that LVP might be derived from the second branchial arch. Based on histological evidence, we hypothesize that motor components from the facial nerve may run along LPN, believed to be purely sensory. The multiple innervation of LVP by LPN and pharyngeal plexus may explain the postpalatoplasty discrepancy between the partial impairment in articulation vs. the functional restoration of deglutition. That is, the contribution of LPN is greater in articulation than in deglutition.

Magnetic resonance imaging of tumor with a self-traceable phosphorylcholine polymer.

Polymers are concentration-amplified with respect to the monomeric units. We show here that a phosphorylcholine polymer enriched with (13)C/(15)N at the methyl groups is self-traceable by multiple-resonance (heteronuclear-correlation) NMR in tumor-bearing mice inoculated with the mouse rectal cancer cell line (colon 26). Preliminary measurements indicated that the present polymeric nanoprobe was satisfactorily distinguished from lipids and detectable with far sub-micromolar spectroscopic and far sub-millimolar imaging sensitivities. Detailed ex vivo and in vivo studies for the tumor-bearing mice administered the probe with a mean molecular weight of 63,000 and a mean size of 13 nm, revealed the following: (1) this probe accumulates in the tumor highly selectively (besides renal excretion) and efficiently (up to 30% of the injected dose), (2) the tumor can thus be clearly in vivo imaged, the lowest clearly imageable dose of the probe being 100 mg/kg or 2.0 mg/20-g mouse, and (3) the competition between renal excretion and tumor accumulation is size-controlled; that is, the larger (higher molecular-weight) and smaller (lower molecular-weight) portions of the probe undergo tumor accumulation and renal excretion, respectively. The observed size dependence suggests that the efficient tumor-targeting of the present probe is stimulated primarily by the so-called enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, that is, size-allowed invasion of the probe into the tumor tissue via defective vascular wall. Self-traceable polymers thus open an important area of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of tumors and may provide a highly potential tool to visualize various delivery/localization processes using synthetic polymers.

Magnetic resonance imaging of tumor with a self-traceable polymer conjugated with an antibody fragment.

A (13)C-enriched phosphorylcholine polymer ((13)C-PMPC) as a self-traceable MR (magnetic resonance) tag was conjugated with a fragment (scFv) of Herceptin, a clinical antibody against antigen Her2. When injected in model mice bearing Her2(+) (gastric) and Her2(-) (pancreatic) tumors, the antibody-tag conjugate (13)C-PMPC-scFv selectively accumulated in the Her2(+) tumor with a rapid build-up/decay (accumulation/clearance) profile and, with the use of the (1)H-(13)C double-resonance (heteronuclear correlation) technique, the Her2(+) gastric tumor was clearly MR imaged.

Pharmacokinetics of Chiral Dendrimer-Triamine-Coordinated Gd-MRI Contrast Agents Evaluated by in Vivo MRI and Estimated by in Vitro QCM.

Recently, we developed novel chiral dendrimer-triamine-coordinated Gd-MRI contrast agents (Gd-MRI CAs), which showed longitudinal relaxivity (r1) values about four times higher than that of clinically used Gd-DTPA (Magnevist(®), Bayer). In our continuing study of pharmacokinetic differences derived from both the chirality and generation of Gd-MRI CAs, we found that the ability of chiral dendrimer Gd-MRI CAs to circulate within the body can be directly evaluated by in vitro MRI (7 T). In this study, the association constants (K(a)) of chiral dendrimer Gd-MRI CAs to bovine serum albumin (BSA), measured and calculated with a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) in vitro, were found to be an extremely easy means for evaluating the body-circulation ability of chiral dendrimer Gd-MRI CAs. The K(a) values of S-isomeric dendrimer Gd-MRI CAs were generally greater than those of R-isomeric dendrimer Gd-MRI CAs, which is consistent with the results of our previous MRI study in vivo.

Interactive visual exploration of overlapping similar structures for three-dimensional microscope images.

BACKGROUND: Recent advances in microscopy enable the acquisition of large numbers of tomographic images from living tissues. Three-dimensional microscope images are often displayed with volume rendering by adjusting the transfer functions. However, because the emissions from fluorescent materials and the optical properties based on point spread functions affect the imaging results, the intensity value can differ locally, even in the same structure. Further, images obtained from brain tissues contain a variety of neural structures such as dendrites and axons with complex crossings and overlapping linear structures. In these cases, the transfer functions previously used fail to optimize image generation, making it difficult to explore the connectivity of these tissues. RESULTS: This paper proposes an interactive visual exploration method by which the transfer functions are modified locally and interactively based on multidimensional features in the images. A direct editing interface is also provided to specify both the target region and structures with characteristic features, where all manual operations can be performed on the rendered image. This method is demonstrated using two-photon microscope images acquired from living mice, and is shown to be an effective method for interactive visual exploration of overlapping similar structures. CONCLUSIONS: An interactive visualization method was introduced for local improvement of visualization by volume rendering in two-photon microscope images containing regions in which linear nerve structures crisscross in a complex manner. The proposed method is characterized by the localized multidimensional transfer function and interface where the parameters can be determined by the user to suit their particular visualization requirements.

Specific detection and imaging of enzyme activity by signal-amplifiable self-assembling (19)F MRI probes.

Specific turn-on detection of enzyme activities is of fundamental importance in drug discovery research, as well as medical diagnostics. Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is one of the most powerful techniques for noninvasive visualization of enzyme activity, both in vivo and ex vivo, promising strategies for imaging specific enzymes with high contrast have been very limited to date. We report herein a novel signal-amplifiable self-assembling (19) F NMR/MRI probe for turn-on detection and imaging of specific enzymatic activity. In NMR spectroscopy, these designed probes are "silent" when aggregated, but exhibit a disassembly driven turn-on signal change upon cleavage of the substrate part by the catalytic enzyme. Using these (19) F probes, nanomolar levels of two different target enzymes, nitroreductase (NTR) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP), could be detected and visualized by (19) F NMR spectroscopy and MRI. Furthermore, we have succeeded in imaging the activity of endogenously secreted MMP in cultured media of tumor cells by (19) F MRI, depending on the cell lines and the cellular conditions. These results clearly demonstrate that our turn-on (19) F probes may serve as a screening platform for the activity of MMPs.

Hippocampal volume mediates the relationship of parental rejection in childhood with social cognition in healthy adults.

Childhood abuse reduces hippocampal and amygdala volumes and impairs social cognition, including the ability to recognize facial expressions. However, these associations have been studied primarily in individuals with a history of severe abuse and psychiatric symptoms; researchers have not determined whether these associations can also be observed in healthy adults. In the present study, we analyzed data from 400 healthy adults (208 men and 192 women) at Tamagawa University. Parental rejection reflecting childhood abuse was assessed using the short form of Egna Minnen Beträffande Uppfostran, while social cognition was assessed using the "Fake Smile Detection Task." Hippocampal and amygdala volumes were extracted from T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging data using FreeSurfer. We found that greater parental rejection resulted in smaller hippocampal and amygdala volumes and poorer performance in the Fake Smile Detection Task. Structural equation modeling analysis supported the model that hippocampal volume mediates maternal rejection effect on performance on the Fake Smile Detection Task, with involvement of the amygdala. These findings are in line with the structural and functional connectivity found between the hippocampus and amygdala and their joint involvement in social cognition. Therefore, parental rejection may affect hippocampal and amygdala volumes and social cognitive function even in symptom-free adults.

Association of Cardiovascular Risk Markers and Fitness with Task-Related Neural Activity during Animacy Perception.

PURPOSE: Numerous studies have demonstrated the association between cardiovascular risk markers and fitness, and broad aspects of cognition; however, the possible association of cardiovascular risk markers and fitness with social cognition, which plays a significant role in the development and maintenance of social relationships, has largely been ignored. Herein, we investigated the relationship of cardiovascular risk markers and fitness with task-related neural activity during animacy perception. METHODS: We analyzed data from the Human Connectome Project derived from 1027 adults age 22-37 yr. Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) was conducted to evaluate the association between participants' body mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, submaximal endurance, gait speed, hand dexterity, and muscular strength with task-related neural activity during animacy perception. RESULTS: We observed a single significant CCA mode. Body mass index and blood pressure demonstrated negative cross-loadings with task-related neural activity in the temporoparietal, superior and anterior temporal, posterior cingulate, and inferior frontal regions, whereas submaximal endurance, hand dexterity, and muscular strength demonstrated positive cross-loadings. The observed CCA variates did not seem highly heritable, as the absolute differences in CCA variates in monozygotic twins, dizygotic twins, and nontwin siblings were not statistically different. Furthermore, the cardiovascular risk markers and fitness CCA variates were positively associated with animacy perception and emotion recognition accuracy, which was mediated by the task-related neural activity. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings can provide new insights into the role of markers for cardiovascular health and fitness, specifically their association with social cognition and the underlying neural basis. The intervention for cardiovascular risk and fitness could be a potentially cost-effective method of targeting social cognition.

Image-to-Graph Convolutional Network for 2D/3D Deformable Model Registration of Low-Contrast Organs.

Organ shape reconstruction based on a single-projection image during treatment has wide clinical scope, e.g., in image-guided radiotherapy and surgical guidance. We propose an image-to-graph convolutional network that achieves deformable registration of a three-dimensional (3D) organ mesh for a low-contrast two-dimensional (2D) projection image. This framework enables simultaneous training of two types of transformation: from the 2D projection image to a displacement map, and from the sampled per-vertex feature to a 3D displacement that satisfies the geometrical constraint of the mesh structure. Assuming application to radiation therapy, the 2D/3D deformable registration performance is verified for multiple abdominal organs that have not been targeted to date, i.e., the liver, stomach, duodenum, and kidney, and for pancreatic cancer. The experimental results show shape prediction considering relationships among multiple organs can be used to predict respiratory motion and deformation from digitally reconstructed radiographs with clinically acceptable accuracy.

Association between relational mobility, brain structure, and prosociality in adolescents.

Trust plays a vital role in human society. Previous studies have suggested that trust comprises general trust and caution. General trust is a belief that others, in general, are trustworthy, and caution is a belief in the importance of vigilance in dealing with others. Adolescence is a critical period for establishing these psychological traits. It is a period of physical and mental development, and the social environment during this period influences adolescents' psychology, including their brain structures. In this study, we focus on relational mobility as a socio-environmental factor that influences the development of adolescents' psychology and the brain. Relational mobility refers to the degree of freedom to choose and replace social relationships and consists of two subfactors (the degree of freedom to choose and replace social relationships and the number of opportunities to meet new people). Accordingly, we analyzed each subfactor separately. Results showed that the degree of freedom to choose and replace social relationships was only negatively associated with caution and left posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG) volume in adolescents. Furthermore, the effect of the freedom to choose and replace social relationships on caution was significantly relevant to the left pSTG volume. In contrast, the degree of opportunities to meet new people was associated with neither general trust nor caution, whereas it was positively associated with the right supramarginal gyrus volume. This study suggests that the social environment during adolescence influences brain structures related to prosociality.