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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2008 Feb 1.
Published in final edited form as: Biol Psychol. 2006 Oct 16;74(2):116–143. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2006.06.009

Figure 2. The Social Engagement System.

Figure 2

Social communication is determined by the cortical regulation of medullary nuclei via corticobulbar pathways. The Social Engagement System consists of a somatomotor compnent (i.e., special visceral effernt pathways that regulate the striated muscles of the face and head) and a visceromotor component (i.e., the myelinated vagus that regulates the heart and bronchi). Solid blocks indicate the somatomotor component. Dashed blocks indicate the visceromotor component.