Mental imagery related to the recent death of a loved one is associated with intense sadness and distress. Social relations, such as with one's significant other, can regulate negative emotions and provide comfort, but the neural correlates of social comfort are largely unknown. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging study, we examined brain responses to sad mental imagery and how these are modulated by holding hands with one's romantic partner. We found that mental imagery of a recently deceased loved one was associated with increased reactivity in the dorsal striatum, medial prefrontal cortex, anterior and posterior cingulate cortex, thalamus and cerebellum. Holding hands with one's partner as compared to being alone or holding hands with a stranger provided subjective comfort and reduced neural reactivity in the dorsal striatum without affecting the vividness of the imagery. Our findings indicate an important role for the dorsal striatum in sad mental imagery and social comfort and suggest that tactile social support by one's romantic partner regulates subjective distress through other processes than mere distraction from the mental imagery.

Centre for Neuroscience Central European Institute of Technology Masaryk University Kamenice 753 5 625 00 Brno Czech Republic

Department of Clinical Neuroscience Karolinska Institute Nobels Väg 9 171 65 Stockholm Sweden

Faculty of Medicine Masaryk University Kamenice 753 5 625 00 Brno Czech Republic

The Beijer Laboratory Department of Neuroscience Uppsala University Husargatan 3 752 39 Uppsala Sweden

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