1
|
Jeong Y, Noh J. Neurophysiological analysis of disadvantageous social inequity: Exploring emotional behavior changes and c-Fos expression in a male rat model. Behav Brain Res 2024; 466:114983. [PMID: 38580200 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.114983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
Humans and other animals exhibit aversive behavioral and emotional responses to unequal reward distributions compared with their conspecifics. Despite the significance of this phenomenon, experimental animal models designed to investigate social inequity aversion and delve into the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms are limited. In this study, we developed a rat model to determine the effects of socially equal or unequal reward and stress on emotional changes in male rats. During the training session, the rats were trained to escape when a sound cue was presented, and they were assigned to one of the following groups: all escaping rats [advantageous equity (AE)], freely moving rats alongside a restrained rat [advantageous inequity (AI)], all restrained rats [disadvantageous equity (DE)], and a rat restrained in the presence of freely moving companions [disadvantageous inequity (DI)]. During the test session, rats in the advantageous group (AE and AI) escaped after the cue sound (expected reward acquisition), whereas rats in the disadvantageous group (DE and DI) could not escape despite the cue being presented (expected reward deprivation). Emotional alteration induced by exposure to restraint stress under various social interaction circumstances was examined using an open field test. Notably, the DI group displayed reduced exploration of the center zone during the open field tests compared with the other groups, indicating heightened anxiety-like behaviors in response to reward inequity. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed increased c-Fos expression in the medial prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortices, coupled with reduced c-Fos expression in the striatum and nucleus accumbens under DI conditions, in contrast to the other experimental conditions. These findings provide compelling evidence that rats are particularly sensitive to reward inequity, shedding light on the neurophysiological basis for distinct cognitive processes that manifest when individuals are exposed to social equity and inequity situations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yujeong Jeong
- Department of Science Education, Dankook University, 152 Jukjeon-ro, Suji-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 16890, Republic of Korea
| | - Jihyun Noh
- Department of Science Education, Dankook University, 152 Jukjeon-ro, Suji-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 16890, Republic of Korea.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Testard C, Tremblay S, Parodi F, DiTullio RW, Acevedo-Ithier A, Gardiner K, Kording KP, Platt M. Neural signatures of natural behavior in socializing macaques. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.07.05.547833. [PMID: 37461580 PMCID: PMC10349985 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.05.547833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Our understanding of the neurobiology of primate behavior largely derives from artificial tasks in highly-controlled laboratory settings, overlooking most natural behaviors primate brains evolved to produce1. In particular, how primates navigate the multidimensional social relationships that structure daily life and shape survival and reproductive success remains largely unexplored at the single neuron level. Here, we combine ethological analysis with new wireless recording technologies to uncover neural signatures of natural behavior in unrestrained, socially interacting pairs of rhesus macaques within a larger colony. Population decoding of single neuron activity in prefrontal and temporal cortex unveiled robust encoding of 24 species-typical behaviors, which was strongly modulated by the presence and identity of surrounding monkeys. Male-female partners demonstrated near-perfect reciprocity in grooming, a key behavioral mechanism supporting friendships and alliances, and neural activity maintained a running account of these social investments. When confronted with an aggressive intruder, behavioral and neural population responses reflected empathy and were buffered by the presence of a partner. Surprisingly, neural signatures in prefrontal and temporal cortex were largely indistinguishable and irreducible to visual and motor contingencies. By employing an ethological approach to the study of primate neurobiology, we reveal a highly-distributed neurophysiological record of social dynamics, a potential computational foundation supporting communal life in primate societies, including our own.
Collapse
|
3
|
Grèzes J, Risch N, Courtet P, Olié E, Mennella R. Depression and approach-avoidance decisions to emotional displays: The role of anhedonia. Behav Res Ther 2023; 164:104306. [PMID: 37043847 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2023.104306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
Depression is linked to dysfunctional appetitive and aversive motivational systems and effort-based decision-making, yet whether such deficits extend to social decisions remains unclear. Participants (23 non-depressed, 48 depressed - 24 with a past history of suicide attempt) completed a social decision-making task consisting in freely choosing whether to approach or avoid individuals displaying happy or angry expressions. Occasionally, participants had to make a further effort (change button press) to obtain the desired outcome. All participants preferentially avoided anger on their first choice. Yet, depressed patients less often chose to approach happy individuals, as a function of anhedonia severity. Depressed patients were also less inclined than controls to change their response when the anticipated outcome of their first choice was undesirable (approach angry and avoid happy). Again, such effect correlated with anhedonia severity. Our results support that both altered valuation and willingness to exert effort impact approach-avoidance decisions in social contexts in depression. On this basis, we propose a new integrating framework for reconciling different hypotheses on the effect of depression and anhedonia on motivational responses to emotional stimuli.
Collapse
|
4
|
Munuera J, Burguière E. Can we tackle climate change by behavioral hacking of the dopaminergic system? Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:996955. [PMID: 36311863 PMCID: PMC9606619 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.996955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate change is an undeniable fact that will certainly affect millions of people in the following decades. Despite this danger threatening our economies, wellbeing and our lives in general, there is a lack of immediate response at both the institutional and individual level. How can it be that the human brain cannot interpret this threat and act against it to avoid the immense negative consequences that may ensue? Here we argue that this paradox could be explained by the fact that some key brain mechanisms are potentially poorly tuned to take action against a threat that would take full effect only in the long-term. We present neuro-behavioral evidence in favor of this proposal and discuss the role of the dopaminergic (DA) system in learning accurate prediction of the value of an outcome, and its consequences regarding the climate issue. We discuss how this system discounts the value of delayed outcomes and, consequently, does not favor action against the climate crisis. Finally, according to this framework, we suggest that this view may be reconsidered and, on the contrary, that the DA reinforcement learning system could be a powerful ally if adapted to short-term incentives which promote climate-friendly behaviors. Additionally, the DA system interacts with multiple brain systems, in particular those related to higher cognitive functions, which can adjust its functions depending on psychological, social, or other complex contextual information. Thus, we propose several generic action plans that could help to hack these neuro-behavioral processes to promote climate-friendly actions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jérôme Munuera
- Sorbonne Université, Institut du Cerveau–Paris Brain Institute–ICM, Inserm, CNRS, AP-HP, Hôpital de la Pitié Salpêtrière, Paris, France
- Institut Jean Nicod, Département d’Études Cognitives, École Normale Supérieure (ENS), EHESS, CNRS, PSL University, Paris, France
- *Correspondence: Jérôme Munuera,
| | - Eric Burguière
- Sorbonne Université, Institut du Cerveau–Paris Brain Institute–ICM, Inserm, CNRS, AP-HP, Hôpital de la Pitié Salpêtrière, Paris, France
- Eric Burguière,
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Padilla-Coreano N, Tye KM, Zelikowsky M. Dynamic influences on the neural encoding of social valence. Nat Rev Neurosci 2022; 23:535-550. [PMID: 35831442 PMCID: PMC9997616 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-022-00609-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Social signals can serve as potent emotional triggers with powerful impacts on processes from cognition to valence processing. How are social signals dynamically and flexibly associated with positive or negative valence? How do our past social experiences and present social standing shape our motivation to seek or avoid social contact? We discuss a model in which social attributes, social history, social memory, social rank and social isolation can flexibly influence valence assignment to social stimuli, termed here as 'social valence'. We emphasize how the brain encodes each of these four factors and highlight the neural circuits and mechanisms that play a part in the perception of social attributes, social memory and social rank, as well as how these factors affect valence systems associated with social stimuli. We highlight the impact of social isolation, dissecting the neural and behavioural mechanisms that mediate the effects of acute versus prolonged periods of social isolation. Importantly, we discuss conceptual models that may account for the potential shift in valence of social stimuli from positive to negative as the period of isolation extends in time. Collectively, this Review identifies factors that control the formation and attribution of social valence - integrating diverse areas of research and emphasizing their unique contributions to the categorization of social stimuli as positive or negative.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nancy Padilla-Coreano
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Kay M Tye
- HHMI-Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA.
| | - Moriel Zelikowsky
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Jiang Y, Sheng F, Belkaya N, Platt ML. Oxytocin and testosterone administration amplify viewing preferences for sexual images in male rhesus macaques. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210133. [PMID: 35858095 PMCID: PMC9272140 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Social stimuli, like faces, and sexual stimuli, like genitalia, spontaneously attract visual attention in both human and non-human primates. Social orienting behaviour is thought to be modulated by neuropeptides as well as sex hormones. Using a free viewing task in which paired images of monkey faces and anogenital regions were presented simultaneously, we found that male rhesus macaques overwhelmingly preferred to view images of anogenital regions over faces. They were more likely to make an initial gaze shift towards, and spent more time viewing, anogenital regions compared with faces, and this preference was accompanied by relatively constricted pupils. On face images, monkeys mostly fixated on the forehead and eyes. These viewing preferences were found for images of both males and females. Both oxytocin (OT), a neuropeptide linked to social bonding and affiliation, and testosterone (TE), a sex hormone implicated in mating and aggression, amplified the pre-existing orienting bias for female genitalia over female faces; neither treatment altered the viewing preference for male anogenital regions over male faces. Testosterone but not OT increased the probability of monkeys making the first gaze shift towards female anogenital rather than face pictures, with the strongest effects on anogenital images of young and unfamiliar females. Finally, both OT and TE promoted viewing of the forehead region of both female and male faces, which display sexual skins, but decreased the relative salience of the eyes of older males. Together, these results invite the hypothesis that both OT and TE regulate reproductive behaviours by acting as a gain control on the visual orienting network to increase attention to mating-relevant signals in the environment. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Interplays between oxytocin and other neuromodulators in shaping complex social behaviours’.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yaoguang Jiang
- Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Feng Sheng
- Wharton Neuroscience Initiative, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- School of Management and MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science & Brain–Machine Integration, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310058, China
| | - Naz Belkaya
- Champalimaud Center for the Unknown, Lisbon, 1400-038, Portugal
| | - Michael L. Platt
- Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Department of Psychology, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Marketing Department, the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Wharton Neuroscience Initiative, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Buck J, Manion MTC, Zhang W, Glasper ER, Wang KH. Comparative anatomical analysis of dopamine systems in Mus musculus and Peromyscus californicus. Brain Struct Funct 2022; 227:2219-2227. [PMID: 35501609 PMCID: PMC11115318 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-022-02497-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Dopamine plays important roles in motivational and social behaviors in mammals, and it has been implicated in several human neurological and psychiatric disorders. Rodents are used extensively as experimental models to study dopamine function in health and disease. However, interspecies differences of dopamine systems remain incompletely characterized. Here, we assessed whether the commonly referenced anatomical organization of dopamine systems in Mus musculus differs from another rodent species, Peromyscus californicus, which exhibits unique social behaviors such as biparental care. We applied tyrosine hydroxylase immunofluorescence labeling and high-throughput microscopy to establish whole-brain maps of dopamine systems in P. californicus. By comparing these maps to those from M. musculus, we identified unexpected anatomical similarity and difference between these two species. A sex difference in dopamine neurons at the anteroventral periventricular nucleus of hypothalamus, which has been implicated in regulating the maternal behaviors of the uniparental M. musculus, is similarly present in the biparental P. californicus. In contrast, major interspecies differences from M. musculus are found in the ventral midbrain and striatum of P. californicus, including the expansion of midbrain dopamine neurons into the ventral substantia nigra and the presence of an internal capsule-like white matter tract that demarcates a dorsomedial area from the rest of the striatum. These features identified in P. californicus resemble the anatomical organization of the primate brain more closely compared to those in M. musculus. Our findings suggest that P. californicus is a unique model organism for studying the evolution of dopamine systems in mammals and the disorders of dopamine systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Justin Buck
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
- Unit on Neural Circuits and Adaptive Behaviors, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA
- Program in Neurobiology and Behavior, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Matthew T C Manion
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
- Unit on Neural Circuits and Adaptive Behaviors, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
- Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Wenyu Zhang
- Department of Neuroscience, Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA
| | - Erica R Glasper
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
- Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
- Department of Neuroscience and Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43235, USA
| | - Kuan Hong Wang
- Unit on Neural Circuits and Adaptive Behaviors, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Martinez-Saito M, Gorina E. Learning under social versus nonsocial uncertainty: A meta-analytic approach. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 43:4185-4206. [PMID: 35620870 PMCID: PMC9374892 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Much of the uncertainty that clouds our understanding of the world springs from the covert values and intentions held by other people. Thus, it is plausible that specialized mechanisms that compute learning signals under uncertainty of exclusively social origin operate in the brain. To test this hypothesis, we scoured academic databases for neuroimaging studies involving learning under uncertainty, and performed a meta‐analysis of brain activation maps that compared learning in the face of social versus nonsocial uncertainty. Although most of the brain activations associated with learning error signals were shared between social and nonsocial conditions, we found some evidence for functional segregation of error signals of exclusively social origin during learning in limited regions of ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and insula. This suggests that most behavioral adaptations to navigate social environments are reused from frontal and subcortical areas processing generic value representation and learning, but that a specialized circuitry might have evolved in prefrontal regions to deal with social context representation and strategic action.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Elena Gorina
- Department of Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Testard C, Brent LJN, Andersson J, Chiou KL, Negron-Del Valle JE, DeCasien AR, Acevedo-Ithier A, Stock MK, Antón SC, Gonzalez O, Walker CS, Foxley S, Compo NR, Bauman S, Ruiz-Lambides AV, Martinez MI, Skene JHP, Horvath JE, Unit CBR, Higham JP, Miller KL, Snyder-Mackler N, Montague MJ, Platt ML, Sallet J. Social connections predict brain structure in a multidimensional free-ranging primate society. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabl5794. [PMID: 35417242 PMCID: PMC9007502 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abl5794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Reproduction and survival in most primate species reflects management of both competitive and cooperative relationships. Here, we investigated the links between neuroanatomy and sociality in free-ranging rhesus macaques. In adults, the number of social partners predicted the volume of the mid-superior temporal sulcus and ventral-dysgranular insula, implicated in social decision-making and empathy, respectively. We found no link between brain structure and other key social variables such as social status or indirect connectedness in adults, nor between maternal social networks or status and dependent infant brain structure. Our findings demonstrate that the size of specific brain structures varies with the number of direct affiliative social connections and suggest that this relationship may arise during development. These results reinforce proposed links between social network size, biological success, and the expansion of specific brain circuits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Camille Testard
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Lauren J. N. Brent
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | | | - Kenneth L. Chiou
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Josue E. Negron-Del Valle
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Alex R. DeCasien
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, NYCEP, New York, NY, USA
- Section on Developmental Neurogenomics, National Institute of Mental Health, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Michala K. Stock
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Metropolitan State University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Susan C. Antón
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, NYCEP, New York, NY, USA
| | - Olga Gonzalez
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Christopher S. Walker
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Sean Foxley
- Wellcome Integrative Neuroimaging Centre, fMRIB, Oxford, UK
- Department of Radiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Nicole R. Compo
- Caribbean Primate Research Center, University of Puerto Rico, Sabana Seca, Puerto Rico
- Comparative Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Samuel Bauman
- Caribbean Primate Research Center, University of Puerto Rico, Sabana Seca, Puerto Rico
| | | | - Melween I. Martinez
- Caribbean Primate Research Center, University of Puerto Rico, Sabana Seca, Puerto Rico
| | - J. H. Pate Skene
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Julie E. Horvath
- Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC 27601, USA
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | | | - James P. Higham
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, NYCEP, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Noah Snyder-Mackler
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Michael J. Montague
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Michael L. Platt
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Marketing Department, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Jérôme Sallet
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Wellcome Integrative Neuroimaging Centre, Oxford, UK
- Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute, Inserm, Université Lyon 1, Bron U1208, France
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Dwortz MF, Curley JP, Tye KM, Padilla-Coreano N. Neural systems that facilitate the representation of social rank. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200444. [PMID: 35000438 PMCID: PMC8743891 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Across species, animals organize into social dominance hierarchies that serve to decrease aggression and facilitate survival of the group. Neuroscientists have adopted several model organisms to study dominance hierarchies in the laboratory setting, including fish, reptiles, rodents and primates. We review recent literature across species that sheds light onto how the brain represents social rank to guide socially appropriate behaviour within a dominance hierarchy. First, we discuss how the brain responds to social status signals. Then, we discuss social approach and avoidance learning mechanisms that we propose could drive rank-appropriate behaviour. Lastly, we discuss how the brain represents memories of individuals (social memory) and how this may support the maintenance of unique individual relationships within a social group. This article is part of the theme issue 'The centennial of the pecking order: current state and future prospects for the study of dominance hierarchies'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Madeleine F. Dwortz
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
- Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - James P. Curley
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Kay M. Tye
- Systems Neuroscience Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Nancy Padilla-Coreano
- Systems Neuroscience Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FN 32611, USA
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Staszewski M, Nelic D, Jończyk J, Dubiel M, Frank A, Stark H, Bajda M, Jakubik J, Walczyński K. Guanidine Derivatives: How Simple Structural Modification of Histamine H 3R Antagonists Has Led to the Discovery of Potent Muscarinic M 2R/M 4R Antagonists. ACS Chem Neurosci 2021; 12:2503-2519. [PMID: 34100603 PMCID: PMC8291587 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.1c00237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
![]()
This article describes
the discovery of novel potent muscarinic
receptor antagonists identified during a search for more active histamine
H3 receptor (H3R) ligands. The idea was to replace
the flexible seven methylene linker with a semirigid 1,4-cyclohexylene
or p-phenylene substituted group of the previously
described histamine H3R antagonists ADS1017 and ADS1020. These simple structural modifications
of the histamine H3R antagonist led to the emergence of
additional pharmacological effects, some of which unexpectedly showed
strong antagonist potency at muscarinic receptors. This paper reports
the routes of synthesis and pharmacological characterization of guanidine
derivatives, a novel chemotype of muscarinic receptor antagonists
binding to the human muscarinic M2 and M4 receptors
(hM2R and hM4R, respectively) in nanomolar concentration
ranges. The affinities of the newly synthesized ADS10227 (1-{4-{4-{[4-(phenoxymethyl)cyclohexyl]methyl}piperazin-1-yl}but-1-yl}-1-(benzyl)guanidine)
at hM2R and hM4R were 2.8 nM and 5.1 nM, respectively.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marek Staszewski
- Department of Synthesis and Technology of Drugs, Medical University of Lodz, ul. Muszyńskiego 1, 90-151 Łódź, Poland
| | - Dominik Nelic
- Department of Neurochemistry, Institute of Physiology CAS, Videnska 1083, CZ142 20, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jakub Jończyk
- Department of Physicochemical Drug Analysis, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Medyczna 9, 30-688 Kraków, Poland
| | - Mariam Dubiel
- Institute of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitaetsstr. 1, Duesseldorf 40225, Germany
| | - Annika Frank
- Institute of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitaetsstr. 1, Duesseldorf 40225, Germany
| | - Holger Stark
- Institute of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitaetsstr. 1, Duesseldorf 40225, Germany
| | - Marek Bajda
- Department of Physicochemical Drug Analysis, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Medyczna 9, 30-688 Kraków, Poland
| | - Jan Jakubik
- Department of Neurochemistry, Institute of Physiology CAS, Videnska 1083, CZ142 20, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Krzysztof Walczyński
- Department of Synthesis and Technology of Drugs, Medical University of Lodz, ul. Muszyńskiego 1, 90-151 Łódź, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Singh M, Acerbi A, Caldwell CA, Danchin É, Isabel G, Molleman L, Scott-Phillips T, Tamariz M, van den Berg P, van Leeuwen EJC, Derex M. Beyond social learning. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200050. [PMID: 33993759 PMCID: PMC8126463 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cultural evolution requires the social transmission of information. For this reason, scholars have emphasized social learning when explaining how and why culture evolves. Yet cultural evolution results from many mechanisms operating in concert. Here, we argue that the emphasis on social learning has distracted scholars from appreciating both the full range of mechanisms contributing to cultural evolution and how interactions among those mechanisms and other factors affect the output of cultural evolution. We examine understudied mechanisms and other factors and call for a more inclusive programme of investigation that probes multiple levels of the organization, spanning the neural, cognitive-behavioural and populational levels. To guide our discussion, we focus on factors involved in three core topics of cultural evolution: the emergence of culture, the emergence of cumulative cultural evolution and the design of cultural traits. Studying mechanisms across levels can add explanatory power while revealing gaps and misconceptions in our knowledge. This article is part of the theme issue 'Foundations of cultural evolution'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Manvir Singh
- Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, Toulouse 31015, France
| | - Alberto Acerbi
- Center for Culture and Evolution, Brunel University London, Uxbridge UB8 3PH, UK
| | | | - Étienne Danchin
- Laboratoire Évolution and Diversité Biologique (EDB, UMR5174), Université Fédérale de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, 31062 Toulouse cedex 9, France
| | - Guillaume Isabel
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Centre de Biologie Intégrative, Université Fédérale de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 31062 Toulouse cedex 9, France
| | - Lucas Molleman
- Amsterdam Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, 1018 WT Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Thom Scott-Phillips
- Department of Cognitive Science, Central European University, Budapest 1051, Hungary
| | - Monica Tamariz
- Department of Psychology, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UK
| | | | - Edwin J. C. van Leeuwen
- Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, 2018 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Maxime Derex
- Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, Toulouse 31015, France
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 5314, Toulouse 31015, France
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Testard C, Tremblay S, Platt M. From the field to the lab and back: neuroethology of primate social behavior. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2021; 68:76-83. [PMID: 33567386 PMCID: PMC8243779 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2021.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Revised: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Social mammals with more numerous and stronger social relationships live longer, healthier lives. Despite the established importance of social relationships, our understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms by which they are pursued, formed, and maintained in primates remains largely confined to highly controlled laboratory settings which do not allow natural, dynamic social interactions to unfold. In this review, we argue that the neurobiological study of primate social behavior would benefit from adopting a neuroethological approach, that is, a perspective grounded in natural, species-typical behavior, with careful selection of animal models according to the scientific question at hand. We highlight macaques and marmosets as key animal models for human social behavior and summarize recent findings in the social domain for both species. We then review pioneering studies of dynamic social behaviors in small animals, which can inspire studies in larger primates where the technological landscape is now ripe for an ethological overhaul.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Camille Testard
- Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
| | - Sébastien Tremblay
- Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Michael Platt
- Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Psychology Department, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Marketing Department, The Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Buades-Rotger M, Göttlich M, Weiblen R, Petereit P, Scheidt T, Keevil BG, Krämer UM. Low Competitive Status Elicits Aggression in Healthy Young Men: Behavioral and Neural Evidence. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 16:1123-1137. [PMID: 33959776 PMCID: PMC8599182 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsab061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Revised: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Winners are commonly assumed to compete more aggressively than losers. Here, we find overwhelming evidence for the opposite. We first demonstrate that low-ranking teams commit more fouls than they receive in top-tier soccer, ice hockey, and basketball men's leagues. We replicate this effect in the laboratory, showing that male participants deliver louder sound blasts to a rival when placed in a low-status position. Using neuroimaging, we characterize brain activity patterns that encode competitive status as well as those that facilitate status-dependent aggression in healthy young men. These analyses reveal three key findings. First, anterior hippocampus and striatum contain multivariate representations of competitive status. Second, interindividual differences in status-dependent aggression are linked with a sharper status differentiation in the striatum and with greater reactivity to status-enhancing victories in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. Third, activity in ventromedial, ventrolateral, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is associated with trial-wise increases in status-dependent aggressive behavior. Taken together, our results run counter to narratives glorifying aggression in competitive situations. Rather, we show that those in the lower ranks of skill-based hierarchies are more likely to behave aggressively and identify the potential neural basis of this phenomenon.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Macià Buades-Rotger
- Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.,Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.,Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Martin Göttlich
- Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Ronja Weiblen
- Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | | | - Thomas Scheidt
- Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Brian G Keevil
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, University Hospital of South Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Ulrike M Krämer
- Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.,Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.,Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM), University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Noritake A, Ninomiya T, Isoda M. Subcortical encoding of agent-relevant associative signals for adaptive social behavior in the macaque. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 125:78-87. [PMID: 33609569 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2020] [Revised: 01/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Primates are group-living creatures that constantly face the challenges posed by complex social demands. To date, the cortical mechanisms underlying social information processing have been the major focus of attention. However, emerging evidence suggests that subcortical regions also mediate the collection and processing of information from other agents. Here, we review the literature supporting the hypothesis that behavioral variables important for decision-making, i.e., stimulus, action, and outcome, are associated with agent information (self and other) in subcortical regions, such as the amygdala, striatum, lateral hypothalamus, and dopaminergic midbrain nuclei. Such self-relevant and other-relevant associative signals are then integrated into a social utility signal, presumably at the level of midbrain dopamine neurons. This social utility signal allows decision makers to organize their optimal behavior in accordance with social demands. Determining how self-relevant and other-relevant signals might be altered in psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders will be fundamental to better understand how social behaviors are dysregulated in disease conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Atsushi Noritake
- Division of Behavioral Development, Department of System Neuroscience, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 38 Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8585, Japan; Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Life Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Hayama, Kanagawa, 240-0193, Japan
| | - Taihei Ninomiya
- Division of Behavioral Development, Department of System Neuroscience, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 38 Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8585, Japan; Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Life Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Hayama, Kanagawa, 240-0193, Japan
| | - Masaki Isoda
- Division of Behavioral Development, Department of System Neuroscience, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 38 Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8585, Japan; Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Life Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Hayama, Kanagawa, 240-0193, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Adams GK, Ong WS, Pearson JM, Watson KK, Platt ML. Neurons in primate prefrontal cortex signal valuable social information during natural viewing. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20190666. [PMID: 33423624 PMCID: PMC7815429 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Information about social partners is innately valuable to primates. Decisions about which sources of information to consume are highly naturalistic but also complex and place unusually strong demands on the brain's decision network. In particular, both the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) play key roles in decision making and social behaviour, suggesting a likely role in social information-seeking as well. To test this idea, we developed a 'channel surfing' task in which monkeys were shown a series of 5 s video clips of conspecifics engaged in natural behaviours at a field site. Videos were annotated frame-by-frame using an ethogram of species-typical behaviours, an important source of social information. Between each clip, monkeys were presented with a choice between targets that determined which clip would be seen next. Monkeys' gaze during playback indicated differential engagement depending on what behaviours were presented. Neurons in both OFC and LPFC responded to choice targets and to video, and discriminated a subset of the behaviours in the ethogram during video viewing. These findings suggest that both OFC and LPFC are engaged in processing social information that is used to guide dynamic information-seeking decisions. This article is part of the theme issue 'Existence and prevalence of economic behaviours among non-human primates'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey K Adams
- Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Wei Song Ong
- Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - John M Pearson
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Karli K Watson
- Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Michael L Platt
- Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Department of Psychology, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Marketing Department, Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Wang D, Ma Y. Oxytocin facilitates valence-dependent valuation of social evaluation of the self. Commun Biol 2020; 3:433. [PMID: 32792516 PMCID: PMC7426917 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01168-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
People are eager to know the self in other’s eyes even with personal costs. However, what drives people costly to know evaluations remains unknown. Here we tested the hypothesis of placing subjective value on knowing social evaluations. To quantify the subjective value, we developed a pay-to-know choice task where individuals trade off profits against knowing social evaluations. Individuals computed independent unknown aversion towards positive and negative social evaluations and placed higher values on knowing social evaluation on positive than negative aspects. Such a valence-dependent valuation of social evaluation was facilitated by oxytocin, a neuropeptide linked to feedback learning and valuation processes, by decreasing values of negative social evaluation. Moreover, individuals scoring high in depression undervalued positive social evaluation, which was normalized by oxytocin. We reveal the psychological and computational processes underlying self-image formation/update and suggest a role of oxytocin in normalizing hypo-valuation of positive social evaluation in depression. Danyang Wang and Yina Ma measure the amount of money participants are willing to forgo for the opportunity to access social or non-social evaluations of the self. They show that subjective values on knowing social evaluation is valence-dependent whereas that on non-social evaluation is valence-insensitive. Moreover, oxytocin contributes to valence-dependent valuation on social evaluation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Danyang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Yina Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Wang Q, Chang J, Chawarska K. Atypical Value-Driven Selective Attention in Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder. JAMA Netw Open 2020; 3:e204928. [PMID: 32374399 PMCID: PMC7203607 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.4928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2019] [Accepted: 03/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Importance Enhanced selective attention toward nonsocial objects and impaired attention to social stimuli constitute key clinical features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Yet, the mechanisms associated with atypical selective attention in ASD are poorly understood, which limits the development of more effective interventions. In typically developing individuals, selective attention to social and nonsocial stimuli is associated with the informational value of the stimuli, which is typically learned over the course of repeated interactions with the stimuli. Objective To examine value learning (VL) of social and nonsocial stimuli and its association with selective attention in preschoolers with and without ASD. Design, Setting, and Participants This case-control study compared children with ASD vs children with developmental delay (DD) and children with typical development (TD) recruited between March 3, 2017, and June 13, 2018, at a university-based research laboratory. Participants were preschoolers with ASD, DD, or TD. Main Outcomes and Measures Procedure consisted of an eye-tracking gaze-contingent VL task involving social (faces) and nonsocial (fractals) stimuli and consisting of baseline, training, and choice test phases. Outcome measures were preferential attention to stimuli reinforced (high value) vs not reinforced (low value) during training. The hypotheses were stated before data collection. Results Included were 115 preschoolers with ASD (n = 48; mean [SD] age, 38.30 [15.55] months; 37 [77%] boys), DD (n = 31; mean [SD] age, 45.73 [19.49] months; 19 [61%] boys), or TD (n = 36; mean [SD] age, 36.53 [12.39] months; 22 [61%] boys). The groups did not differ in sex distribution; participants with ASD or TD had similar chronological age; and participants with ASD or DD had similar verbal IQ and nonverbal IQ. After training, the ASD group showed preference for the high-value nonsocial stimuli (mean proportion, 0.61 [95% CI, 0.56-0.65]; P < .001) but not for the high-value social stimuli (mean proportion, 0.51 [95% CI, 0.46-0.56]; P = .58). In contrast, the DD and TD groups demonstrated preference for the high-value social stimuli (DD mean proportion, 0.59 [95% CI, 0.54-0.64]; P = .001 and TD mean proportion, 0.57 [95% CI, 0.53-0.61]; P = .002) but not for the high-value nonsocial stimuli (DD mean proportion, 0.52 [95% CI, 0.44-0.59]; P = .64 and TD mean proportion, 0.50 [95% CI, 0.44-0.57]; P = .91). Controlling for age and nonverbal IQ, autism severity was positively correlated with enhanced learning in the nonsocial domain (r = 0.22; P = .03) and with poorer learning in the social domain (r = -0.26; P = .01). Conclusions and Relevance Increased attention to objects in preschoolers with ASD may be associated with enhanced VL in the nonsocial domain. When paired with poor VL in the social domain, enhanced value-driven attention to objects may play a formative role in the emergence of autism symptoms by altering attentional priorities and thus learning opportunities in affected children.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Quan Wang
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
- Key Laboratory of Spectral Imaging Technology, Key Laboratory of Biomedical Spectroscopy of Xi’an, Xi’an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics of Chinese Academy of Sciences
| | - Joseph Chang
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
- Department of Statistics and Data Science, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Katarzyna Chawarska
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
- Department of Statistics and Data Science, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Albertini D, Gerbella M, Lanzilotto M, Livi A, Maranesi M, Ferroni CG, Bonini L. Connectional gradients underlie functional transitions in monkey pre-supplementary motor area. Prog Neurobiol 2020; 184:101699. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2019.101699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2019] [Revised: 09/06/2019] [Accepted: 09/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
|
20
|
Prounis GS, Ophir AG. One cranium, two brains not yet introduced: Distinct but complementary views of the social brain. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 108:231-245. [PMID: 31743724 PMCID: PMC6949399 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Revised: 10/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Social behavior is pervasive across the animal kingdom, and elucidating how the brain enables animals to respond to social contexts is of great interest and profound importance. Our understanding of 'the social brain' has been fractured as it has matured. Two drastically different conceptualizations of the social brain have emerged with relatively little awareness of each other. In this review, we briefly recount the history behind the two dominant definitions of a social brain. The divide that has emerged between these visions can, in part, be attributed to differential attention to cortical or sub-cortical regions in the brain, and differences in methodology, comparative perspectives, and emphasis on functional specificity or generality. We discuss how these factors contribute to a lack of communication between research efforts, and propose ways in which each version of the social brain can benefit from the perspectives, tools, and approaches of the other. Interface between the two characterizations of social brain networks is sure to provide essential insight into what the social brain encompasses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- George S Prounis
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Alexander G Ophir
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
A dyadic brain model of ape gestural learning, production and representation. Anim Cogn 2019; 22:519-534. [DOI: 10.1007/s10071-018-1228-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2016] [Revised: 12/05/2018] [Accepted: 12/10/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
|
22
|
Carcea I, Froemke RC. Biological mechanisms for observational learning. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2018; 54:178-185. [PMID: 30529989 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2018.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2018] [Revised: 10/26/2018] [Accepted: 11/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Observational learning occurs when an animal capitalizes on the experience of another to change its own behavior in a given context. This form of learning is an efficient strategy for adapting to changes in environmental conditions, but little is known about the underlying neural mechanisms. There is an abundance of literature supporting observational learning in humans and other primates, and more recent studies have begun documenting observational learning in other species such as birds and rodents. The neural mechanisms for observational learning depend on the species' brain organization and on the specific behavior being acquired. However, as a general rule, it appears that social information impinges on neural circuits for direct learning, mimicking or enhancing neuronal activity patterns that function during pavlovian, spatial or instrumental learning. Understanding the biological mechanisms for social learning could boost translational studies into behavioral interventions for a wide range of learning disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ioana Carcea
- Brain Health Institute, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, 07103 USA; Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, 07103 USA; Skirball Institute for Biomolecular Medicine, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016 USA; Neuroscience Institute, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016 USA; Department of Otolaryngology, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016 USA; Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016 USA
| | - Robert C Froemke
- Skirball Institute for Biomolecular Medicine, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016 USA; Neuroscience Institute, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016 USA; Department of Otolaryngology, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016 USA; Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016 USA.
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Kahnt T. A decade of decoding reward-related fMRI signals and where we go from here. Neuroimage 2018; 180:324-333. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.03.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2017] [Revised: 03/21/2017] [Accepted: 03/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
|
24
|
Akimoto Y, Yamazaki R, Sugiura M, Nouchi R, Terao C, Tsukiura T, Kawashima R. Approach or avoidance: Neural correlates of intelligence evaluation from faces. Eur J Neurosci 2018; 48:1680-1690. [PMID: 29806978 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2018] [Revised: 05/16/2018] [Accepted: 05/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Intelligence is among the key determinants of power and social status in modern societies. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging study, we examined the neural correlates of intelligence evaluation from faces. Participants underwent scans while they evaluated the perceived intelligence and friendliness of faces. We found that medial orbitofrontal cortex activity increased linearly with friendliness ratings. The relationship between perceived intelligence and brain activity was positively linear in the right caudate nucleus and U-shaped (i.e., strong responses to unintelligent-looking or intelligent-looking faces) in the right anterior insula/inferior frontal gyrus. Perceived intelligence was also significantly positively correlated with both friendliness and attractiveness. Furthermore, intelligence rating scores had a positive linear effect on reaction times in the friendliness rating task, suggesting that participants had greater conflicts when making friendliness judgments for faces that appeared to belong to intelligent individuals. In addition, the degree of this effect predicted individual differences in the positive linear modulatory effect of intelligence scores in the right caudate nucleus. Our interpretation was that the activity in the caudate nucleus revealed an approach-avoidance conflict with regard to highly intelligent people, that is, they were perceived as attractive but also potentially threatening. Although our interpretations are merely suggestive because we did not measure the approach-avoidance behaviors directly, our findings have important implications for understanding the dynamics of human interaction in modern societies that increasingly allocate power and status based on intelligence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yoritaka Akimoto
- Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
- Information & Management Systems Engineering, Nagaoka University of Technology, Nagaoka, Japan
| | | | - Motoaki Sugiura
- Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
- Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Rui Nouchi
- Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
- Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
- Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Chiaki Terao
- Faculty of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Takashi Tsukiura
- Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Ryuta Kawashima
- Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Wake SJ, Izuma K. A common neural code for social and monetary rewards in the human striatum. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2018; 12:1558-1564. [PMID: 28985408 PMCID: PMC5647806 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsx092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2016] [Accepted: 07/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Although managing social information and decision making on the basis of reward is critical for survival, it remains uncertain whether differing reward type is processed in a uniform manner. Previously, we demonstrated that monetary reward and the social reward of good reputation activated the same striatal regions including the caudate nucleus and putamen. However, it remains unclear whether overlapping activations reflect activities of identical neuronal populations or two overlapping but functionally independent neuronal populations. Here, we re-analyzed the original data and addressed this question using multivariate-pattern-analysis and found evidence that in the left caudate nucleus and bilateral nucleus accumbens, social vs monetary reward were represented similarly. The findings suggest that social and monetary rewards are processed by the same population of neurons within these regions of the striatum. Additional findings demonstrated similar neural patterns when participants experience high social reward compared to viewing others receiving low social reward (potentially inducing schadenfreude). This is possibly an early indication that the same population of neurons may be responsible for processing two different types of social reward (good reputation and schadenfreude). These findings provide a supplementary perspective to previous research, helping to further elucidate the mechanisms behind social vs non-social reward processing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie J Wake
- Department of Psychology, University of York, Heslington, York YO10?5DD, UK
| | - Keise Izuma
- Department of Psychology, University of York, Heslington, York YO10?5DD, UK
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Abstract
Activity in a network of areas spanning the superior temporal sulcus, dorsomedial frontal cortex, and anterior cingulate cortex is concerned with how nonhuman primates negotiate the social worlds in which they live. Central aspects of these circuits are retained in humans. Activity in these areas codes for primates' interactions with one another, their attempts to find out about one another, and their attempts to prevent others from finding out too much about themselves. Moreover, important features of the social world, such as dominance status, cooperation, and competition, modulate activity in these areas. We consider the degree to which activity in these regions is simply encoding an individual's own actions and choices or whether this activity is especially and specifically concerned with social cognition. Recent advances in comparative anatomy and computational modeling may help us to gain deeper insights into the nature and boundaries of primate social cognition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marco K Wittmann
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, OX1 3UD Oxford, United Kingdom; , , .,Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Oxford Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, OX1 3UD Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Patricia L Lockwood
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, OX1 3UD Oxford, United Kingdom; , , .,Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Oxford Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, OX1 3UD Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew F S Rushworth
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, OX1 3UD Oxford, United Kingdom; , , .,Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Oxford Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, OX1 3UD Oxford, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Munuera J, Rigotti M, Salzman CD. Shared neural coding for social hierarchy and reward value in primate amygdala. Nat Neurosci 2018; 21:415-423. [PMID: 29459764 PMCID: PMC6092962 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-018-0082-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2017] [Accepted: 12/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The social brain hypothesis posits that dedicated neural systems process social information. In support of this, neurophysiological data have shown that some brain regions are specialized for representing faces. It remains unknown, however, whether distinct anatomical substrates also represent more complex social variables, such as the hierarchical rank of individuals within a social group. Here we show that the primate amygdala encodes the hierarchical rank of individuals in the same neuronal ensembles that encode the rewards associated with nonsocial stimuli. By contrast, orbitofrontal and anterior cingulate cortices lack strong representations of hierarchical rank while still representing reward values. These results challenge the conventional view that dedicated neural systems process social information. Instead, information about hierarchical rank-which contributes to the assessment of the social value of individuals within a group-is linked in the amygdala to representations of rewards associated with nonsocial stimuli.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jérôme Munuera
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Mattia Rigotti
- IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NY, USA
| | - C Daniel Salzman
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
- Kavli Institute for Brain Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Ballard IC, Hennigan K, McClure SM. Mere Exposure: Preference Change for Novel Drinks Reflected in Human Ventral Tegmental Area. J Cogn Neurosci 2017; 29:793-804. [PMID: 28129051 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Preferences for novel stimuli tend to develop slowly over many exposures. Psychological accounts of this effect suggest that it depends on changes in the brain's valuation system. Participants consumed a novel fluid daily for 10 days and underwent fMRI on the first and last days. We hypothesized that changes in activation in areas associated with the dopamine system would accompany changes in preference. The change in activation in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) between sessions scaled with preference change. Furthermore, a network comprising the sensory thalamus, posterior insula, and ventrolateral striatum showed differential connectivity with the VTA that correlated with individual changes in preference. Our results suggest that the VTA is centrally involved in both assigning value to sensory stimuli and influencing downstream regions to translate these value signals into subjective preference. These results have important implications for models of dopaminergic function and behavioral addiction.
Collapse
|
29
|
Masataka N. Implications of the idea of neurodiversity for understanding the origins of developmental disorders. Phys Life Rev 2016; 20:85-108. [PMID: 27876343 DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2016.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2016] [Accepted: 11/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Neurodiversity, a term initially used mostly by civil and human rights movements since the 1990s, refers to the notion that cognitive as well as emotional properties characteristic of developmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are not necessarily deficits, but fall within normal behavioural variations exhibited by humans. The purpose of the present article is to examine the relevance of this notion to scientific research on ASD. On the assumption that one crucial survival advantage of intelligent activity is vigilance toward dangers in the external world, and such vigilance must work in the social domain as well as in the non-social domain, the author argues that the pattern of operation of an individual person's mind can be categorized according to the domain toward which that individual is more oriented. Individuals with ASD, overall, do not rely upon their social relationships but rather are predisposed to process perceived non-social objects in more depth, which manifests itself as hyper-sensation and hyper-attention to detail. It can be assumed that underconnectivity among cortical areas and subcortical areas underlies such mental operation neurologically. One of the main predictions based on this assumption is that all facets of psychological function are susceptible to disruption in ASD. Indeed, it has traditionally been thought that there are such general deficits in this disorder. However, contrary to the prevalent belief that people with ASD lack empathy, in fact people with ASD are capable of empathizing with the minds of others if those others are people with ASD. Thus, the neurological underconnectivity in ASD certainly leads some processing of information in the mind to work with less coordination, but has in fact contributed to providing Homo sapiens with behavioural variants. Finally, the clinical implications of the advantages of viewing ASD as a variation in neurodiversity are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nobuo Masataka
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Platt ML, Seyfarth RM, Cheney DL. Adaptations for social cognition in the primate brain. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2016; 371:20150096. [PMID: 26729935 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies of the factors affecting reproductive success in group-living monkeys have traditionally focused on competitive traits, like the acquisition of high dominance rank. Recent research, however, indicates that the ability to form cooperative social bonds has an equally strong effect on fitness. Two implications follow. First, strong social bonds make individuals' fitness interdependent and the 'free-rider' problem disappears. Second, individuals must make adaptive choices that balance competition and cooperation-often with the same partners. The proximate mechanisms underlying these behaviours are only just beginning to be understood. Recent results from cognitive and systems neuroscience provide us some evidence that many social and non-social decisions are mediated ultimately by abstract, domain-general neural mechanisms. However, other populations of neurons in the orbitofrontal cortex, striatum, amygdala and parietal cortex specifically encode the type, importance and value of social information. Whether these specialized populations of neurons arise by selection or through developmental plasticity in response to the challenges of social life remains unknown. Many brain areas are homologous and show similar patterns of activity in human and non-human primates. In both groups, cortical activity is modulated by hormones like oxytocin and by the action of certain genes that may affect individual differences in behaviour. Taken together, results suggest that differences in cooperation between the two groups are a matter of degree rather than constituting a fundamental, qualitative distinction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael L Platt
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychology, and Marketing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Robert M Seyfarth
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Dorothy L Cheney
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
White JK, Monosov IE. Neurons in the primate dorsal striatum signal the uncertainty of object-reward associations. Nat Commun 2016; 7:12735. [PMID: 27623750 PMCID: PMC5027277 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2016] [Accepted: 07/28/2016] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
To learn, obtain reward and survive, humans and other animals must monitor, approach and act on objects that are associated with variable or unknown rewards. However, the neuronal mechanisms that mediate behaviours aimed at uncertain objects are poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that a set of neurons in an internal-capsule bordering regions of the primate dorsal striatum, within the putamen and caudate nucleus, signal the uncertainty of object–reward associations. Their uncertainty responses depend on the presence of objects associated with reward uncertainty and evolve rapidly as monkeys learn novel object–reward associations. Therefore, beyond its established role in mediating actions aimed at known or certain rewards, the dorsal striatum also participates in behaviours aimed at reward-uncertain objects. The dorsal striatum (DS) is a brain region that is thought to aim actions at certain or known rewards. Here, the authors show that an internal-capsule bordering region of the primate DS signals the uncertainty of object-reward associations, suggesting a novel role for the DS in behavior under uncertainty.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J Kael White
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Avenue, St Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
| | - Ilya E Monosov
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Avenue, St Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Wang KS, Smith DV, Delgado MR. Using fMRI to study reward processing in humans: past, present, and future. J Neurophysiol 2016; 115:1664-78. [PMID: 26740530 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00333.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2015] [Accepted: 01/04/2016] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a noninvasive tool used to probe cognitive and affective processes. Although fMRI provides indirect measures of neural activity, the advent of fMRI has allowed for1) the corroboration of significant animal findings in the human brain, and2) the expansion of models to include more common human attributes that inform behavior. In this review, we briefly consider the neural basis of the blood oxygenation level dependent signal to set up a discussion of how fMRI studies have applied it in examining cognitive models in humans and the promise of using fMRI to advance such models. Specifically, we illustrate the contribution that fMRI has made to the study of reward processing, focusing on the role of the striatum in encoding reward-related learning signals that drive anticipatory and consummatory behaviors. For instance, we discuss how fMRI can be used to link neural signals (e.g., striatal responses to rewards) to individual differences in behavior and traits. While this functional segregation approach has been constructive to our understanding of reward-related functions, many fMRI studies have also benefitted from a functional integration approach that takes into account how interconnected regions (e.g., corticostriatal circuits) contribute to reward processing. We contend that future work using fMRI will profit from using a multimodal approach, such as combining fMRI with noninvasive brain stimulation tools (e.g., transcranial electrical stimulation), that can identify causal mechanisms underlying reward processing. Consequently, advancements in implementing fMRI will promise new translational opportunities to inform our understanding of psychopathologies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kainan S Wang
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey; and
| | - David V Smith
- Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey
| | - Mauricio R Delgado
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey; and Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Abstract
Differences in popularity are a key aspect of status in virtually all human groups and shape social interactions within them. Little is known, however, about how we track and neurally represent others' popularity. We addressed this question in two real-world social networks using sociometric methods to quantify popularity. Each group member (perceiver) viewed faces of every other group member (target) while whole-brain functional MRI data were collected. Independent functional localizer tasks were used to identify brain systems supporting affective valuation (ventromedial prefrontal cortex, ventral striatum, amygdala) and social cognition (dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, precuneus, temporoparietal junction), respectively. During the face-viewing task, activity in both types of neural systems tracked targets' sociometric popularity, even when controlling for potential confounds. The target popularity-social cognition system relationship was mediated by valuation system activity, suggesting that observing popular individuals elicits value signals that facilitate understanding their mental states. The target popularity-valuation system relationship was strongest for popular perceivers, suggesting enhanced sensitivity to differences among other group members' popularity. Popular group members also demonstrated greater interpersonal sensitivity by more accurately predicting how their own personalities were perceived by other individuals in the social network. These data offer insights into the mechanisms by which status guides social behavior.
Collapse
|
34
|
Falcone R, Brunamonti E, Ferraina S, Genovesio A. Neural Encoding of Self and Another Agent's Goal in the Primate Prefrontal Cortex: Human-Monkey Interactions. Cereb Cortex 2015; 26:4613-4622. [PMID: 26464474 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhv224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The primate prefrontal cortex represents both past and future goals. To investigate its role in representing the goals of other agents, we designed a nonmatch-to-goal task that involved a human-monkey (H-M) interaction. During each trial, 2 of 4 potential goal objects were presented randomly to the left or right part of a display screen, and the monkey's (or human's) task was to choose the one that did not match the object goal previously chosen. Human and monkey trials were intermixed, and each agent, when acting as observer, was required to monitor the other actor's choice to switch the object goal choice in case it became the actor on the subsequent trial. We found neurons encoding the actor, either the monkey itself or the human, neurons encoding the agent future goal position and neurons encoding the agent previous goal position. In the category of neurons encoding the human future goal, we differentiated between those encoding the future goal of both agents and those encoding only the human agent future goal. While the first one might represent a covert mental simulation in the human trials, the other one could represent a prediction signal of the other's agent choice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rossella Falcone
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, SAPIENZA University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Emiliano Brunamonti
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, SAPIENZA University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Stefano Ferraina
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, SAPIENZA University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Aldo Genovesio
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, SAPIENZA University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
van Wingerden M, van den Bos W. Can You Trust a Rat? Using Animal Models to Investigate the Neural Basis of Trust Like Behavior. SOCIAL COGNITION 2015. [DOI: 10.1521/soco.2015.33.5.387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
|
36
|
Watson KK, Li D, Brent LJN, Horvath JE, Gonzalez-Martinez J, Lambides RA, Robinson AG, Skene JHP, Platt ML. Genetic influences on social attention in free-ranging rhesus macaques. Anim Behav 2015; 103:267-275. [PMID: 26034313 PMCID: PMC4448754 DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
An ethological approach to attention predicts that organisms orient preferentially to valuable sources of information in the environment. For many gregarious species, orienting to other individuals provides valuable social information but competes with food acquisition, water consumption and predator avoidance. Individual variation in vigilance behaviour in humans spans a continuum from inattentive to pathological levels of interest in others. To assess the comparative biology of this behavioural variation, we probed vigilance rates in free-ranging macaques during water drinking, a behaviour incompatible with the gaze and postural demands of vigilance. Males were significantly more vigilant than females. Moreover, vigilance showed a clear genetic component, with an estimated heritability of 12%. Monkeys carrying a relatively infrequent 'long' allele of TPH2, a regulatory gene that influences serotonin production in the brain, were significantly less vigilant compared to monkeys that did not carry the allele. These findings resonate with the hypothesis that the serotonin pathway regulates vigilance in primates and by extension provoke the idea that individual variation in vigilance and its underlying biology may be adaptive rather than pathological.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- K. K. Watson
- Institute for Cognitive Science, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO, U.S.A
| | - D. Li
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, U.S.A
- Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC, U.S.A
| | - L. J. N. Brent
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, U.S.A
- Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC, U.S.A
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, U.K
| | - J. E. Horvath
- Nature Research Center, Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC, U.S.A
- Department of Biology, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC, U.S.A
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, U.S.A
| | - J. Gonzalez-Martinez
- Caribbean Primate Research Center, University of Puerto Rico, Punta Santiago, PR, U.S.A
| | - Ruiz- A. Lambides
- Caribbean Primate Research Center, University of Puerto Rico, Punta Santiago, PR, U.S.A
| | - A. G. Robinson
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Research Drive, Durham, NC, U.S.A
| | - J. H. P Skene
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Research Drive, Durham, NC, U.S.A
| | - M. L. Platt
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, U.S.A
- Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC, U.S.A
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, U.S.A
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Research Drive, Durham, NC, U.S.A
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, U.S.A
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Abstract
Emerging evidence implicates the midbrain dopamine system and its interactions with the lateral habenula in processing aversive information and learning to avoid negative outcomes. We examined neural responses to unexpected, aversive events using methods specialized for imaging the midbrain and habenula in humans. Robust activation to aversive relative to neutral events was observed in the habenula and two regions within the ventral midbrain: one located within the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the other in the substantia nigra (SN). Aversive processing increased functional connectivity between the VTA and the habenula, putamen, and medial prefrontal cortex, whereas the SN exhibited a different pattern of functional connectivity. Our findings provide evidence for a network comprising the VTA and SN, the habenula, and mesocorticolimbic structures that supports processing aversive events in humans.
Collapse
|
38
|
Zhang K, Hill K, Labak S, Blatt G, Soghomonian JJ. Loss of glutamic acid decarboxylase (Gad67) in Gpr88-expressing neurons induces learning and social behavior deficits in mice. Neuroscience 2014; 275:238-47. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2014.06.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2014] [Revised: 05/16/2014] [Accepted: 06/06/2014] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
|
39
|
Abstract
Neuroeconomics applies models from economics and psychology to inform neurobiological studies of choice. This approach has revealed neural signatures of concepts like value, risk, and ambiguity, which are known to influence decision making. Such observations have led theorists to hypothesize a single, unified decision process that mediates choice behavior via a common neural currency for outcomes like food, money, or social praise. In parallel, recent neuroethological studies of decision making have focused on natural behaviors like foraging, mate choice, and social interactions. These decisions strongly impact evolutionary fitness and thus are likely to have played a key role in shaping the neural circuits that mediate decision making. This approach has revealed a suite of computational motifs that appear to be shared across a wide variety of organisms. We argue that the existence of deep homologies in the neural circuits mediating choice may have profound implications for understanding human decision making in health and disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John M Pearson
- Department of Neurobiology, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, and Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Karli K Watson
- Department of Neurobiology, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, and Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Michael L Platt
- Department of Neurobiology, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, and Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA; Departments of Evolutionary Anthropology and Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Ruff CC, Fehr E. The neurobiology of rewards and values in social decision making. Nat Rev Neurosci 2014; 15:549-62. [DOI: 10.1038/nrn3776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 439] [Impact Index Per Article: 43.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
|
41
|
Simon D, Becker MPI, Mothes-Lasch M, Miltner WHR, Straube T. Effects of social context on feedback-related activity in the human ventral striatum. Neuroimage 2014; 99:1-6. [PMID: 24904991 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.05.071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2014] [Revised: 05/22/2014] [Accepted: 05/27/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
It is now well established that activation of the ventral striatum (VS) encodes feedback related information, in particular, aspects of feedback validity, reward magnitude, and reward probability. More recent findings also point toward a role of VS in encoding social context of feedback processing. Here, we investigated the effect of social observation on neural correlates of feedback processing. To this end, subjects performed a time estimation task and received positive, negative, or uninformative feedback. In one half of the experiment subjects thought that an experimenter closely monitored their face via a camera. We successfully replicated an elevated VS response to positive relative to negative feedback. Further, our data demonstrate that this reward-related activation of the VS is increased during observation by others. Using uninformative feedback as reference condition, we show that specifically VS activation during positive feedback was modulated by observation manipulation. Our findings support accounts which posit a role of VS in integrating social context into the processing of feedback and, in doing so, signaling its social relevance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Doerte Simon
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Germany
| | - Michael P I Becker
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Germany.
| | - Martin Mothes-Lasch
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Germany
| | - Wolfgang H R Miltner
- Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
| | - Thomas Straube
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Yokoyama R, Nozawa T, Sugiura M, Yomogida Y, Takeuchi H, Akimoto Y, Shibuya S, Kawashima R. The neural bases underlying social risk perception in purchase decisions. Neuroimage 2014; 91:120-8. [PMID: 24473098 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.01.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2013] [Revised: 01/06/2014] [Accepted: 01/21/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Social considerations significantly influence daily purchase decisions, and the perception of social risk (i.e., the anticipated disapproval of others) is crucial in dissuading consumers from making purchases. However, the neural basis for consumers' perception of social risk remains undiscovered, and this novel study clarifies the relevant neural processes. A total of 26 volunteers were scanned while they evaluated purchase intention of products (purchase intention task) and their anticipation of others' disapproval for possessing a product (social risk task), using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The fMRI data from the purchase intention task was used to identify the brain region associated with perception of social risk during purchase decision making by using subjective social risk ratings for a parametric modulation analysis. Furthermore, we aimed to explore if there was a difference between participants' purchase decisions and their explicit evaluations of social risk, with reference to the neural activity associated with social risk perception. For this, subjective social risk ratings were used for a parametric modulation analysis on fMRI data from the social risk task. Analysis of the purchase intention task revealed a significant positive correlation between ratings of social risk and activity in the anterior insula, an area of the brain that is known as part of the emotion-related network. Analysis of the social risk task revealed a significant positive correlation between ratings of social risk and activity in the temporal parietal junction and the medial prefrontal cortex, which are known as theory-of-mind regions. Our results suggest that the anterior insula processes consumers' social risk implicitly to prompt consumers not to buy socially unacceptable products, whereas ToM-related regions process such risk explicitly in considering the anticipated disapproval of others. These findings may prove helpful in understanding the mental processes involved in purchase decisions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ryoichi Yokoyama
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan; Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan; University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business, CA, USA.
| | - Takayuki Nozawa
- Smart Ageing International Research Center, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Motoaki Sugiura
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan; International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Yukihito Yomogida
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan; Tamagawa University Brain Science Institute, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hikaru Takeuchi
- Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Yoritaka Akimoto
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Satoru Shibuya
- Graduate School of Economics and Management, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Ryuta Kawashima
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan; Smart Ageing International Research Center, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan; Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Gariépy JF, Watson KK, Du E, Xie DL, Erb J, Amasino D, Platt ML. Social learning in humans and other animals. Front Neurosci 2014; 8:58. [PMID: 24765063 PMCID: PMC3982061 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2014.00058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2013] [Accepted: 03/13/2014] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Decisions made by individuals can be influenced by what others think and do. Social learning includes a wide array of behaviors such as imitation, observational learning of novel foraging techniques, peer or parental influences on individual preferences, as well as outright teaching. These processes are believed to underlie an important part of cultural variation among human populations and may also explain intraspecific variation in behavior between geographically distinct populations of animals. Recent neurobiological studies have begun to uncover the neural basis of social learning. Here we review experimental evidence from the past few decades showing that social learning is a widespread set of skills present in multiple animal species. In mammals, the temporoparietal junction, the dorsomedial, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, as well as the anterior cingulate gyrus, appear to play critical roles in social learning. Birds, fish, and insects also learn from others, but the underlying neural mechanisms remain poorly understood. We discuss the evolutionary implications of these findings and highlight the importance of emerging animal models that permit precise modification of neural circuit function for elucidating the neural basis of social learning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jean-François Gariépy
- Department of Neurobiology, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University Durham, NC, USA
| | - Karli K Watson
- Department of Neurobiology, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University Durham, NC, USA
| | - Emily Du
- Department of Neurobiology, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University Durham, NC, USA
| | - Diana L Xie
- Department of Neurobiology, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University Durham, NC, USA
| | - Joshua Erb
- Department of Neurobiology, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University Durham, NC, USA
| | - Dianna Amasino
- Department of Neurobiology, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University Durham, NC, USA
| | - Michael L Platt
- Department of Neurobiology, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University Durham, NC, USA ; Department of Biological Anthropology, Duke University Durham, NC, USA
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Berns GS, Brooks AM, Spivak M. Scent of the familiar: an fMRI study of canine brain responses to familiar and unfamiliar human and dog odors. Behav Processes 2014; 110:37-46. [PMID: 24607363 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2014.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2013] [Revised: 01/13/2014] [Accepted: 02/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Understanding dogs' perceptual experience of both conspecifics and humans is important to understand how dogs evolved and the nature of their relationships with humans and other dogs. Olfaction is believed to be dogs' most powerful and perhaps important sense and an obvious place to begin for the study of social cognition of conspecifics and humans. We used fMRI in a cohort of dogs (N=12) that had been trained to remain motionless while unsedated and unrestrained in the MRI. By presenting scents from humans and conspecifics, we aimed to identify the dimensions of dogs' responses to salient biological odors - whether they are based on species (dog or human), familiarity, or a specific combination of factors. We focused our analysis on the dog's caudate nucleus because of its well-known association with positive expectations and because of its clearly defined anatomical location. We hypothesized that if dogs' primary association to reward, whether it is based on food or social bonds, is to humans, then the human scents would activate the caudate more than the conspecific scents. Conversely, if the smell of conspecifics activated the caudate more than the smell of humans, dogs' association to reward would be stronger to their fellow canines. Five scents were presented (self, familiar human, strange human, familiar dog, strange dog). While the olfactory bulb/peduncle was activated to a similar degree by all the scents, the caudate was activated maximally to the familiar human. Importantly, the scent of the familiar human was not the handler, meaning that the caudate response differentiated the scent in the absence of the person being present. The caudate activation suggested that not only did the dogs discriminate that scent from the others, they had a positive association with it. This speaks to the power of the dog's sense of smell, and it provides important clues about the importance of humans in dogs' lives. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Canine Behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gregory S Berns
- Center for Neuropolicy, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States.
| | - Andrew M Brooks
- Center for Neuropolicy, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States
| | - Mark Spivak
- Comprehensive Pet Therapy, 6600 Roswell Road, Suite K-2, Sandy Springs, GA 30328, United States
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Carbonetto S. A blueprint for research on Shankopathies: a view from research on autism spectrum disorder. Dev Neurobiol 2013; 74:85-112. [PMID: 24218108 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2013] [Accepted: 11/06/2013] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are associated with mutations in a host of genes including a number that function in synaptic transmission. Phelan McDermid syndrome involves mutations in SHANK3 which encodes a protein that forms a scaffold for glutamate receptors at the synapse. SHANK3 is one of the genes that underpins the synaptic hypothesis for ASD. We discuss this hypothesis with a view to the broader context of ASD and with special emphasis on highly penetrant genetic disorders including Shankopathies. We propose a blueprint for near and longer-term goals for fundamental and translational research on Shankopathies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Salvatore Carbonetto
- Centre for Research in Neuroscience, Department of Neurology, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, H3G1A4, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Báez-Mendoza R, Schultz W. The role of the striatum in social behavior. Front Neurosci 2013; 7:233. [PMID: 24339801 PMCID: PMC3857563 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2013.00233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 198] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2013] [Accepted: 11/18/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Where and how does the brain code reward during social behavior? Almost all elements of the brain's reward circuit are modulated during social behavior. The striatum in particular is activated by rewards in social situations. However, its role in social behavior is still poorly understood. Here, we attempt to review its participation in social behaviors of different species ranging from voles to humans. Human fMRI experiments show that the striatum is reliably active in relation to others' rewards, to reward inequity and also while learning about social agents. Social contact and rearing conditions have long-lasting effects on behavior, striatal anatomy and physiology in rodents and primates. The striatum also plays a critical role in pair-bond formation and maintenance in monogamous voles. We review recent findings from single neuron recordings showing that the striatum contains cells that link own reward to self or others' actions. These signals might be used to solve the agency-credit assignment problem: the question of whose action was responsible for the reward. Activity in the striatum has been hypothesized to integrate actions with rewards. The picture that emerges from this review is that the striatum is a general-purpose subcortical region capable of integrating social information into coding of social action and reward.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Raymundo Báez-Mendoza
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge Cambridge, UK
| | | |
Collapse
|
47
|
Pearson JM, Watson KK, Klein JT, Ebitz RB, Platt ML. Individual differences in social information gathering revealed through Bayesian hierarchical models. Front Neurosci 2013; 7:165. [PMID: 24062635 PMCID: PMC3771214 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2013.00165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2013] [Accepted: 08/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
As studies of the neural circuits underlying choice expand to include more complicated behaviors, analysis of behaviors elicited in laboratory paradigms has grown increasingly difficult. Social behaviors present a particular challenge, since inter- and intra-individual variation are expected to play key roles. However, due to limitations on data collection, studies must often choose between pooling data across all subjects or using individual subjects' data in isolation. Hierarchical models mediate between these two extremes by modeling individual subjects as drawn from a population distribution, allowing the population at large to serve as prior information about individuals' behavior. Here, we apply this method to data collected across multiple experimental sessions from a set of rhesus macaques performing a social information valuation task. We show that, while the values of social images vary markedly between individuals and between experimental sessions for the same individual, individuals also differentially value particular categories of social images. Furthermore, we demonstrate covariance between values for image categories within individuals and find evidence suggesting that magnitudes of stimulus values tend to diminish over time.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John M Pearson
- Department of Neurobiology, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, and Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University Durham, NC, USA
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
48
|
Chang SWC, Brent LJN, Adams GK, Klein JT, Pearson JM, Watson KK, Platt ML. Neuroethology of primate social behavior. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110 Suppl 2:10387-94. [PMID: 23754410 PMCID: PMC3690617 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1301213110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
A neuroethological approach to human and nonhuman primate behavior and cognition predicts biological specializations for social life. Evidence reviewed here indicates that ancestral mechanisms are often duplicated, repurposed, and differentially regulated to support social behavior. Focusing on recent research from nonhuman primates, we describe how the primate brain might implement social functions by coopting and extending preexisting mechanisms that previously supported nonsocial functions. This approach reveals that highly specialized mechanisms have evolved to decipher the immediate social context, and parallel circuits have evolved to translate social perceptual signals and nonsocial perceptual signals into partially integrated social and nonsocial motivational signals, which together inform general-purpose mechanisms that command behavior. Differences in social behavior between species, as well as between individuals within a species, result in part from neuromodulatory regulation of these neural circuits, which itself appears to be under partial genetic control. Ultimately, intraspecific variation in social behavior has differential fitness consequences, providing fundamental building blocks of natural selection. Our review suggests that the neuroethological approach to primate behavior may provide unique insights into human psychopathology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Steve W. C. Chang
- Departments of Neurobiology and
- Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and
| | - Lauren J. N. Brent
- Departments of Neurobiology and
- Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and
| | - Geoffrey K. Adams
- Departments of Neurobiology and
- Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and
| | - Jeffrey T. Klein
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - John M. Pearson
- Departments of Neurobiology and
- Neurosurgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710
- Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and
| | - Karli K. Watson
- Departments of Neurobiology and
- Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and
| | - Michael L. Platt
- Departments of Neurobiology and
- Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and
- Departments of Psychology and Neurosciences and
- Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708; and
| |
Collapse
|