Pain is a form of social non-physical pain arising from the perception of social exclusion. The importance of understanding its behavioral and neuronal modulations has a critical value, since its long lasting consequences can be extremely harmful. In this thesis I firstly explored these issues through a behavioral SCR study (Skin Conductance Recording), and successively through three iEEG studies in patients with epilepsy (intracranial EEG). The SCR study explored the direction in which social exclusion is influenced by a reward and its long lasting reactions. Money affects social equilibrium and increases the SCR pics. The excluded individual implements revenge attitudes toward the person who excluded in a previuous interaction. The iEEG studies were a unique window for exploring the brain during different types of social pain modulations. In the first iEEG study, we found that social pain produced activation of theta oscillations (3-7 Hz) during exclusion in the insula, in the ACC, in the prefrontal cortex and in the fusiform face area. The second iEEG study wanted to explore deeply the primitive modulations produced by social pain in visual area. We found in BA 19 and BA 17 greater P1 peak amplitude during excluder pictures presentation. The third iEEG study investigated the neuronal modulations produced by a monetary reward during social pain. These results demonstrated that the posterior insula has a theta activation independent of whether the exclusion is positive (excluded but gaining money) or more negative (excluded but losing money), whereas the anterior insula, has a theta activation only during a negative exclusion
