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Leopold DA. The big mixup: Neural representation during natural modes of primate visual behavior. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2024; 88:102913. [PMID: 39214044 PMCID: PMC11392606 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2024.102913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2024] [Revised: 08/06/2024] [Accepted: 08/07/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
The primate brain has evolved specialized visual capacities to navigate complex physical and social environments. Researchers studying cortical circuits underlying these capacities have traditionally favored the use of simplified tasks and brief stimulus presentations in order to isolate cognitive variables with tight experimental control. As a result, operational theories about visual brain function have come to emphasize feature detection, hierarchical stimulus encoding, top-down task modulation, and functional segregation in distinct cortical areas. Recently, however, experimental paradigms combining natural behavior with electrophysiological recordings have begun to offer a distinctly different portrait of how the brain takes in and analyzes its visual surroundings. The present article reviews recent work in this area, highlighting some of the more surprising findings in domains of social vision and spatial navigation along with shifts in thinking that have begun to emanate from this approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Leopold
- Section on Cognitive Neurophysiology and Imaging, Systems Neurodevelopment Laboratory, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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2
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Fan S, Dal Monte O, Nair AR, Fagan NA, Chang SWC. Closed-loop microstimulations of the orbitofrontal cortex during real-life gaze interaction enhance dynamic social attention. Neuron 2024; 112:2631-2644.e6. [PMID: 38823391 PMCID: PMC11309918 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2024] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024]
Abstract
Neurons from multiple prefrontal areas encode several key variables of social gaze interaction. To explore the causal roles of the primate prefrontal cortex in real-life gaze interaction, we applied weak closed-loop microstimulations that were precisely triggered by specific social gaze events. Microstimulations of the orbitofrontal cortex, but not the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex or the anterior cingulate cortex, enhanced momentary dynamic social attention in the spatial dimension by decreasing the distance of fixations relative to a partner's eyes and in the temporal dimension by reducing the inter-looking interval and the latency to reciprocate the other's directed gaze. By contrast, on a longer timescale, microstimulations of the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex modulated inter-individual gaze dynamics relative to one's own gaze positions. These findings demonstrate that multiple regions in the primate prefrontal cortex may serve as functionally accessible nodes in controlling different aspects of dynamic social attention and suggest their potential for a therapeutic brain interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siqi Fan
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA; The Laboratory of Neural Systems, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Olga Dal Monte
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Turin, 10124 Torino, Italy
| | - Amrita R Nair
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Nicholas A Fagan
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Steve W C Chang
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.
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3
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Lee S, Williams ZM. Role of Prefrontal Cortex Circuitry in Maintaining Social Homeostasis. Biol Psychiatry 2024:S0006-3223(24)01455-0. [PMID: 39019390 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2024] [Revised: 06/12/2024] [Accepted: 07/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/19/2024]
Abstract
Homeostasis is a fundamental concept in biology and ensures the stability of life by maintaining the constancy of physiological processes. Recent years have witnessed a surge in research interest in these physiological processes, with a growing focus on understanding the mechanisms underlying social homeostasis. This shift in focus underscores our increasing understanding of the importance of social interactions and their impact on individual well-being. In this review, we explore the interconnected research across 3 primary categories: understanding the neural mechanisms influencing set points, defining contemporary factors that can disrupt social homeostasis, and identifying the potential contributions of social homeostatic failure in the development of psychiatric diseases. We also delve into the role of the prefrontal cortex and its circuitry in regulating social behavior, decision-making processes, and the manifestation of neuropsychiatric disorders, such as depression and anxiety. Finally, we examine the influence of more recent factors such as growing social media exposure and the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, highlighting their disruptive effects. We also identify gaps in current literature through the analysis of research trends and propose future research directions to advance our understanding of social homeostasis, with implications for mental health interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- SeungHyun Lee
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Ziv M Williams
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Boston, Massachusetts; Program in Neuroscience, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
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4
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Taubert J, Wardle SG, Patterson A, Baker CI. Beyond faces: the contribution of the amygdala to visual processing in the macaque brain. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae245. [PMID: 38864574 PMCID: PMC11485272 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2024] [Revised: 05/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/25/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024] Open
Abstract
The amygdala is present in a diverse range of vertebrate species, such as lizards, rodents, and primates; however, its structure and connectivity differs across species. The increased connections to visual sensory areas in primate species suggests that understanding the visual selectivity of the amygdala in detail is critical to revealing the principles underlying its function in primate cognition. Therefore, we designed a high-resolution, contrast-agent enhanced, event-related fMRI experiment, and scanned 3 adult rhesus macaques, while they viewed 96 naturalistic stimuli. Half of these stimuli were social (defined by the presence of a conspecific), the other half were nonsocial. We also nested manipulations of emotional valence (positive, neutral, and negative) and visual category (faces, nonfaces, animate, and inanimate) within the stimulus set. The results reveal widespread effects of emotional valence, with the amygdala responding more on average to inanimate objects and animals than faces, bodies, or social agents in this experimental context. These findings suggest that the amygdala makes a contribution to primate vision that goes beyond an auxiliary role in face or social perception. Furthermore, the results highlight the importance of stimulus selection and experimental design when probing the function of the amygdala and other visually responsive brain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Taubert
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, 10 Center Dr, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA
- School of Psychology, Level 3, McElwain Building (24A), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Susan G Wardle
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, 10 Center Dr, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA
| | - Amanda Patterson
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, 10 Center Dr, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA
| | - Chris I Baker
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, 10 Center Dr, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA
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5
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Franch M, Yellapantula S, Parajuli A, Kharas N, Wright A, Aazhang B, Dragoi V. Visuo-frontal interactions during social learning in freely moving macaques. Nature 2024; 627:174-181. [PMID: 38355804 PMCID: PMC10959748 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07084-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Social interactions represent a ubiquitous aspect of our everyday life that we acquire by interpreting and responding to visual cues from conspecifics1. However, despite the general acceptance of this view, how visual information is used to guide the decision to cooperate is unknown. Here, we wirelessly recorded the spiking activity of populations of neurons in the visual and prefrontal cortex in conjunction with wireless recordings of oculomotor events while freely moving macaques engaged in social cooperation. As animals learned to cooperate, visual and executive areas refined the representation of social variables, such as the conspecific or reward, by distributing socially relevant information among neurons in each area. Decoding population activity showed that viewing social cues influences the decision to cooperate. Learning social events increased coordinated spiking between visual and prefrontal cortical neurons, which was associated with improved accuracy of neural populations to encode social cues and the decision to cooperate. These results indicate that the visual-frontal cortical network prioritizes relevant sensory information to facilitate learning social interactions while freely moving macaques interact in a naturalistic environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Franch
- Deparment of Neurobiology and Anatomy, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Sudha Yellapantula
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Arun Parajuli
- Deparment of Neurobiology and Anatomy, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Natasha Kharas
- Deparment of Neurobiology and Anatomy, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Anthony Wright
- Deparment of Neurobiology and Anatomy, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Behnaam Aazhang
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Valentin Dragoi
- Deparment of Neurobiology and Anatomy, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas, Houston, TX, USA.
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.
- Neuroengineering Initiative, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.
- Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, USA.
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Xing F, Sheffield AG, Jadi MP, Chang SWC, Nandy AS. Automated 3D analysis of social head-gaze behaviors in freely moving marmosets. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.16.580693. [PMID: 38405818 PMCID: PMC10888878 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.16.580693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Social communication relies on the ability to perceive and interpret the direction of others' attention, which is commonly conveyed through head orientation and gaze direction in both humans and non-human primates. However, traditional social gaze experiments in non-human primates require restraining head movements, which significantly limit their natural behavioral repertoire. Here, we developed a novel framework for accurately tracking facial features and three-dimensional head gaze orientations of multiple freely moving common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus). To accurately track the facial features of marmoset dyads in an arena, we adapted computer vision tools using deep learning networks combined with triangulation algorithms applied to the detected facial features to generate dynamic geometric facial frames in 3D space, overcoming common occlusion challenges. Furthermore, we constructed a virtual cone, oriented perpendicular to the facial frame, to model the head gaze directions. Using this framework, we were able to detect different types of interactive social gaze events, including partner-directed gaze and jointly-directed gaze to a shared spatial location. We observed clear effects of sex and familiarity on both interpersonal distance and gaze dynamics in marmoset dyads. Unfamiliar pairs exhibited more stereotyped patterns of arena occupancy, more sustained levels of social gaze across inter-animal distance, and increased gaze monitoring. On the other hand, familiar pairs exhibited higher levels of joint gazes. Moreover, males displayed significantly elevated levels of gazes toward females' faces and the surrounding regions irrespective of familiarity. Our study lays the groundwork for a rigorous quantification of primate behaviors in naturalistic settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Xing
- Inderdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT
| | - Alec G Sheffield
- Inderdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT
| | - Monika P Jadi
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT
| | - Steve W C Chang
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT
| | - Anirvan S Nandy
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT
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Forte DN, Stoltenberg M, Ribeiro SCDC, de Almeida IM(MO, Jackson V, Daubman BR. The Hierarchy of Communication Needs: A Novel Communication Strategy for High Mistrust Settings Developed in a Brazilian COVID-ICU. Palliat Med Rep 2024; 5:86-93. [PMID: 38415076 PMCID: PMC10898234 DOI: 10.1089/pmr.2023.0070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Context The COVID-19 pandemic presented unique challenges for health care systems. Overcrowded units, extreme illness severity, uncertain prognoses, and mistrust in providers resulted in a "pressure cooker" where traditional communication strategies were often insufficient. Objectives Building on well-studied traditional communication interventions, neurobiology principles were used to create a novel communication strategy designed in the COVID-ICU to respond to the unique communication needs of patients within the context of a high mistrust setting. Methods The hierarchy of communication needs recognizes three specific levels of communication that are essential within high-emotion and low-trust settings. The first level is to establish trust. The second level is to resonate with patients' emotions, helping to reduce arousal and improve empathy. The third level includes the more traditional content of disclosing prognostic information and shared decision-making. When facing communication challenges, clinicians are taught to move back a level and reattune to emotions and/or reestablish trust. Discussion The COVID pandemic revealed the shortcomings of a primarily cognitive communication style. The hierarchy of communication needs emphasizes trust building, and emotional resonance as prerequisites of effective cognitive discussions, resulting in more effective clinician-patient communication that more fully incorporates cultural humility and better meets the needs of diverse patient populations. Additional research is needed to further develop this strategy and evaluate its impact on patient experience and outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Neves Forte
- Intensive Care Unit, Medical Emergency Department, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
- Teaching and Research Institute, Sírio Libanês Hospital, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Mark Stoltenberg
- Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | | | - Vicki Jackson
- Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Bethany-Rose Daubman
- Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Wang L, Zhou X, Zeng F, Cao M, Zuo S, Yang J, Kusunoki M, Wang H, Zhou YD, Chen A, Kwok SC. Mixed Selectivity Coding of Content-Temporal Detail by Dorsomedial Posterior Parietal Neurons. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e1677232023. [PMID: 37985178 PMCID: PMC10860630 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1677-23.2023] [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: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The dorsomedial posterior parietal cortex (dmPPC) is part of a higher-cognition network implicated in elaborate processes underpinning memory formation, recollection, episode reconstruction, and temporal information processing. Neural coding for complex episodic processing is however under-documented. Here, we recorded extracellular neural activities from three male rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) and revealed a set of neural codes of "neuroethogram" in the primate parietal cortex. Analyzing neural responses in macaque dmPPC to naturalistic videos, we discovered several groups of neurons that are sensitive to different categories of ethogram items, low-level sensory features, and saccadic eye movement. We also discovered that the processing of category and feature information by these neurons is sustained by the accumulation of temporal information over a long timescale of up to 30 s, corroborating its reported long temporal receptive windows. We performed an additional behavioral experiment with additional two male rhesus macaques and found that saccade-related activities could not account for the mixed neuronal responses elicited by the video stimuli. We further observed monkeys' scan paths and gaze consistency are modulated by video content. Taken altogether, these neural findings explain how dmPPC weaves fabrics of ongoing experiences together in real time. The high dimensionality of neural representations should motivate us to shift the focus of attention from pure selectivity neurons to mixed selectivity neurons, especially in increasingly complex naturalistic task designs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Affiliated Mental Health Center (ECNU), School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
- Phylo-Cognition Laboratory, Division of Natural and Applied Sciences, Duke Kunshan University, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Kunshan 215316, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xufeng Zhou
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Affiliated Mental Health Center (ECNU), School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
- Phylo-Cognition Laboratory, Division of Natural and Applied Sciences, Duke Kunshan University, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Kunshan 215316, Jiangsu, China
| | - Fu Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (Ministry of Education), East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Mingfeng Cao
- Phylo-Cognition Laboratory, Division of Natural and Applied Sciences, Duke Kunshan University, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Kunshan 215316, Jiangsu, China
- Whiting School of Engineering, department of biomedical engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218
| | - Shuzhen Zuo
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Affiliated Mental Health Center (ECNU), School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
- Laboratory for Circuit and Behavioral Physiology, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako-shi, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
- Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
| | - Jie Yang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Affiliated Mental Health Center (ECNU), School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Makoto Kusunoki
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 7EF, United Kingdom
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, United Kingdom
| | - Huimin Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Affiliated Mental Health Center (ECNU), School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (Ministry of Education), East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
- Shanghai Changning Mental Health Center, Shanghai 200335, China
- NYU-ECNU Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science at NYU Shanghai, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Yong-di Zhou
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518052, China
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218
| | - Aihua Chen
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (Ministry of Education), East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Sze Chai Kwok
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Affiliated Mental Health Center (ECNU), School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
- Phylo-Cognition Laboratory, Division of Natural and Applied Sciences, Duke Kunshan University, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Kunshan 215316, Jiangsu, China
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (Ministry of Education), East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
- Shanghai Changning Mental Health Center, Shanghai 200335, China
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
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Edmonds D, Salvo JJ, Anderson N, Lakshman M, Yang Q, Kay K, Zelano C, Braga RM. Social cognitive regions of human association cortex are selectively connected to the amygdala. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.12.06.570477. [PMID: 38106046 PMCID: PMC10723387 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.06.570477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Reasoning about someone's thoughts and intentions - i.e., forming a theory of mind - is an important aspect of social cognition that relies on association areas of the brain that have expanded disproportionately in the human lineage. We recently showed that these association zones comprise parallel distributed networks that, despite occupying adjacent and interdigitated regions, serve dissociable functions. One network is selectively recruited by theory of mind processes. What circuit properties differentiate these parallel networks? Here, we show that social cognitive association areas are intrinsically and selectively connected to regions of the anterior medial temporal lobe that are implicated in emotional learning and social behaviors, including the amygdala at or near the basolateral complex and medial nucleus. The results suggest that social cognitive functions emerge through coordinated activity between amygdala circuits and a distributed association network, and indicate the medial nucleus may play an important role in social cognition in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donnisa Edmonds
- Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Joseph J. Salvo
- Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Nathan Anderson
- Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Maya Lakshman
- Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Qiaohan Yang
- Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Kendrick Kay
- Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Christina Zelano
- Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Rodrigo M. Braga
- Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
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Fan S, Dal Monte O, Nair AR, Fagan NA, Chang SWC. Closed-loop microstimulations of the orbitofrontal cortex during real-life gaze interaction enhance dynamic social attention. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.18.572176. [PMID: 38187638 PMCID: PMC10769221 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.18.572176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
The prefrontal cortex is extensively involved in social exchange. During dyadic gaze interaction, multiple prefrontal areas exhibit neuronal encoding of social gaze events and context-specific mutual eye contact, supported by a widespread neural mechanism of social gaze monitoring. To explore causal manipulation of real-life gaze interaction, we applied weak closed-loop microstimulations that were precisely triggered by specific social gaze events to three prefrontal areas in monkeys. Microstimulations of orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), but not dorsomedial prefrontal or anterior cingulate cortex, enhanced momentary dynamic social attention in the spatial dimension by decreasing distance of one's gaze fixations relative to partner monkey's eyes. In the temporal dimension, microstimulations of OFC reduced the inter-looking interval for attending to another agent and the latency to reciprocate other's directed gaze. These findings demonstrate that primate OFC serves as a functionally accessible node in controlling dynamic social attention and suggest its potential for a therapeutic brain interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siqi Fan
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Olga Dal Monte
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Turin, 10124 Torino, Italy
| | - Amrita R. Nair
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | | | - Steve W. C. Chang
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
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11
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Mosconi MW, Stevens CJ, Unruh KE, Shafer R, Elison JT. Endophenotype trait domains for advancing gene discovery in autism spectrum disorder. J Neurodev Disord 2023; 15:41. [PMID: 37993779 PMCID: PMC10664534 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-023-09511-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with a diverse range of etiological processes, including both genetic and non-genetic causes. For a plurality of individuals with ASD, it is likely that the primary causes involve multiple common inherited variants that individually account for only small levels of variation in phenotypic outcomes. This genetic landscape creates a major challenge for detecting small but important pathogenic effects associated with ASD. To address similar challenges, separate fields of medicine have identified endophenotypes, or discrete, quantitative traits that reflect genetic likelihood for a particular clinical condition and leveraged the study of these traits to map polygenic mechanisms and advance more personalized therapeutic strategies for complex diseases. Endophenotypes represent a distinct class of biomarkers useful for understanding genetic contributions to psychiatric and developmental disorders because they are embedded within the causal chain between genotype and clinical phenotype, and they are more proximal to the action of the gene(s) than behavioral traits. Despite their demonstrated power for guiding new understanding of complex genetic structures of clinical conditions, few endophenotypes associated with ASD have been identified and integrated into family genetic studies. In this review, we argue that advancing knowledge of the complex pathogenic processes that contribute to ASD can be accelerated by refocusing attention toward identifying endophenotypic traits reflective of inherited mechanisms. This pivot requires renewed emphasis on study designs with measurement of familial co-variation including infant sibling studies, family trio and quad designs, and analysis of monozygotic and dizygotic twin concordance for select trait dimensions. We also emphasize that clarification of endophenotypic traits necessarily will involve integration of transdiagnostic approaches as candidate traits likely reflect liability for multiple clinical conditions and often are agnostic to diagnostic boundaries. Multiple candidate endophenotypes associated with ASD likelihood are described, and we propose a new focus on the analysis of "endophenotype trait domains" (ETDs), or traits measured across multiple levels (e.g., molecular, cellular, neural system, neuropsychological) along the causal pathway from genes to behavior. To inform our central argument for research efforts toward ETD discovery, we first provide a brief review of the concept of endophenotypes and their application to psychiatry. Next, we highlight key criteria for determining the value of candidate endophenotypes, including unique considerations for the study of ASD. Descriptions of different study designs for assessing endophenotypes in ASD research then are offered, including analysis of how select patterns of results may help prioritize candidate traits in future research. We also present multiple candidate ETDs that collectively cover a breadth of clinical phenomena associated with ASD, including social, language/communication, cognitive control, and sensorimotor processes. These ETDs are described because they represent promising targets for gene discovery related to clinical autistic traits, and they serve as models for analysis of separate candidate domains that may inform understanding of inherited etiological processes associated with ASD as well as overlapping neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew W Mosconi
- Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies and Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training (K-CART), University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA.
- Clinical Child Psychology Program, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA.
| | - Cassandra J Stevens
- Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies and Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training (K-CART), University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
- Clinical Child Psychology Program, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Kathryn E Unruh
- Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies and Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training (K-CART), University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Robin Shafer
- Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies and Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training (K-CART), University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Jed T Elison
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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12
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Djerdjaj A, Rieger NS, Brady BH, Carey BN, Ng AJ, Christianson JP. Social affective behaviors among female rats involve the basolateral amygdala and insular cortex. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0281794. [PMID: 37797037 PMCID: PMC10553809 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0281794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to detect, appraise, and respond to another's emotional state is essential to social affective behavior. This is mediated by a network of brain regions responsible for integrating external cues with internal states to orchestrate situationally appropriate behavioral responses. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) and the insular cortex are reciprocally connected regions involved in social cognition and prior work in male rats revealed their contributions to social affective behavior. We investigated the functional role of these regions in female rats in a social affective preference (SAP) test in which experimental rats approach stressed juvenile but avoid stressed adult conspecifics. In separate experiments, the BLA or the insula were inhibited by local infusion of muscimol (100ng/side in 0.5μL saline) or vehicle prior to SAP tests. In both regions, muscimol interfered with preference for the stressed juvenile and naive adult, indicating that these regions are necessary for appropriate social affective behavior. In male rats, SAP behavior requires insular oxytocin but there are noteworthy sex differences in the oxytocin receptor distribution in rats. Oxytocin (500nM) administered to the insula did not alter social behavior but oxytocin infusions to the BLA increased social interaction. In sum, female rats appear to use the same BLA and insula regions for social affective behavior but sex differences exist in contribution of oxytocin in the insula.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Djerdjaj
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, United States of America
| | - Nathaniel S. Rieger
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States of America
| | - Bridget H. Brady
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, United States of America
| | - Bridget N. Carey
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, United States of America
| | - Alexandra J. Ng
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, United States of America
| | - John P. Christianson
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, United States of America
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13
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Li G, Chen MH, Li G, Wu D, Lian C, Sun Q, Rushmore RJ, Wang L. Volumetric Analysis of Amygdala and Hippocampal Subfields for Infants with Autism. J Autism Dev Disord 2023; 53:2475-2489. [PMID: 35389185 PMCID: PMC9537344 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-022-05535-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies have demonstrated abnormal brain overgrowth in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but the development of specific brain regions, such as the amygdala and hippocampal subfields in infants, is incompletely documented. To address this issue, we performed the first MRI study of amygdala and hippocampal subfields in infants from 6 to 24 months of age using a longitudinal dataset. A novel deep learning approach, Dilated-Dense U-Net, was proposed to address the challenge of low tissue contrast and small structural size of these subfields. We performed a volume-based analysis on the segmentation results. Our results show that infants who were later diagnosed with ASD had larger left and right volumes of amygdala and hippocampal subfields than typically developing controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guannan Li
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, China
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Research Imaging Center, Bioinformatics Building, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 130 Mason Farm Rd, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Meng-Hsiang Chen
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Gang Li
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Research Imaging Center, Bioinformatics Building, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 130 Mason Farm Rd, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Di Wu
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Chunfeng Lian
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Research Imaging Center, Bioinformatics Building, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 130 Mason Farm Rd, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Quansen Sun
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, China
| | - R Jarrett Rushmore
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Morphometric Analysis, Massachusetts General Hospital, 149 Thirteenth Street, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA
| | - Li Wang
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Research Imaging Center, Bioinformatics Building, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 130 Mason Farm Rd, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
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14
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Lapolla NJ, Bishop BH, Gahtan E. Social context modulates autonomic responses to direct eye contact. Physiol Behav 2023; 263:114119. [PMID: 36787812 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2023.114119] [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: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
Eye contact with another person (social gaze) can evoke emotions, produce autonomic arousal, and influence behavior. Gaze cues can be evocative even when presented in static pictures of faces suggesting that responses depend on low-level visual features of gaze stimuli. The current study examined whether emotional gaze responses depend on the physical stimulus properties of an eye contact experience versus the cognitive evaluation of the social context of gaze. This was done by comparing skin conductance responses (SCR), an index of emotional arousal, during episodes of social gaze and 'self-gaze' (gazing at one's own eyes in a mirror), keeping other aspects of the viewing conditions constant. We compared SCRs during social gaze and self-gaze in forty participant pairs. Each participant engaged in ten, 20 second eye contact trials, alternating between social and self-gaze. Self-gaze episodes produced significant SCRs but social gaze SCR's were larger and occurred more reliably. SCRs decreased across trials (habituation effect) in both conditions. We speculated that social gaze between opposite sex partners might yield larger SCRs but this was not found. Overall, these results conceptually replicate previous findings of (likely top-town) cognitive regulation of autonomic gaze responses based on evaluation of the social context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathanial J Lapolla
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California, 95521, USA
| | - Benjamin H Bishop
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California, 95521, USA
| | - Ethan Gahtan
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California, 95521, USA.; Department of Biology, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California, 95521, USA..
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15
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Russ BE, Koyano KW, Day-Cooney J, Perwez N, Leopold DA. Temporal continuity shapes visual responses of macaque face patch neurons. Neuron 2023; 111:903-914.e3. [PMID: 36630962 PMCID: PMC10023462 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.12.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Revised: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Macaque inferior temporal cortex neurons respond selectively to complex visual images, with recent work showing that they are also entrained reliably by the evolving content of natural movies. To what extent does temporal continuity itself shape the responses of high-level visual neurons? We addressed this question by measuring how cells in face-selective regions of the macaque visual cortex were affected by the manipulation of a movie's temporal structure. Sampling a 5-min movie at 1 s intervals, we measured neural responses to randomized, brief stimuli of different lengths, ranging from 800 ms dynamic movie snippets to 100 ms static frames. We found that the disruption of temporal continuity strongly altered neural response profiles, particularly in the early response period after stimulus onset. The results suggest that models of visual system function based on discrete and randomized visual presentations may not translate well to the brain's natural modes of operation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian E Russ
- Section on Cognitive Neurophysiology and Imaging, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA; Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA; Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Department of Psychiatry, New York University at Langone, New York City, NY 10016, USA.
| | - Kenji W Koyano
- Section on Cognitive Neurophysiology and Imaging, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Julian Day-Cooney
- Section on Cognitive Neurophysiology and Imaging, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Neda Perwez
- Section on Cognitive Neurophysiology and Imaging, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - David A Leopold
- Section on Cognitive Neurophysiology and Imaging, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA; Neurophysiology Imaging Facility, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Eye Institute, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
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16
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Macaques recognize features in synthetic images derived from ventral stream neurons. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2213034120. [PMID: 36857345 PMCID: PMC10013870 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2213034120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Primates can recognize features in virtually all types of images, an ability that still requires a comprehensive computational explanation. One hypothesis is that visual cortex neurons learn patterns from scenes, objects, and textures, and use these patterns to interpolate incoming visual information. We have used machine learning algorithms to instantiate visual patterns stored by neurons-we call these highly activating images prototypes. Prototypes from inferotemporal (IT) neurons often resemble parts of real-world objects, such as monkey faces and body parts, a similarity established via pretrained neural networks [C. R. Ponce et al., Cell 177, 999-1009.e10 (2019)] and naïve human participants [A. Bardon, W. Xiao, C. R. Ponce, M. S. Livingstone, G. Kreiman, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 119, e2118705119 (2022)]. However, it is not known whether monkeys themselves perceive similarities between neuronal prototypes and real-world objects. Here, we investigated whether monkeys reported similarities between prototypes and real-world objects using a two-alternative forced choice task. We trained the animals to saccade to synthetic images of monkeys, and subsequently tested how they classified prototypes synthesized from IT and primary visual cortex (V1). We found monkeys classified IT prototypes as conspecifics more often than they did random generator images and V1 prototypes, and their choices were partially predicted by convolutional neural networks. Further, we confirmed that monkeys could abstract general shape information from images of real-world objects. Finally, we verified these results with human participants. Our results provide further evidence that prototypes from cortical neurons represent interpretable abstractions from the visual world.
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17
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Djerdjaj A, Rieger NS, Brady BH, Carey BN, Ng AJ, Christianson JP. Social affective behaviors among female rats involve the basolateral amygdala and insular cortex. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.02.526780. [PMID: 36778382 PMCID: PMC9915682 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.02.526780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The ability to detect, appraise, and respond to another's emotional state is essential to social affective behavior. This is mediated by a network of brain regions responsible for integrating external cues with internal states to orchestrate situationally appropriate behavioral responses. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) and the insular cortex are reciprocally connected regions involved in social cognition and prior work in male rats revealed their contributions to social affective behavior. We investigated the functional role of these regions in female rats in a social affective preference (SAP) test in which experimental rats approach stressed juvenile but avoid stressed adult conspecifics. In separate experiments, the BLA or the insula were inhibited by local infusion of muscimol (100ng/side in 0.5μL saline) or vehicle prior to SAP tests. In both regions, muscimol interfered with preference for the stressed juvenile and naive adult, indicating that these regions are necessary for appropriate social affective behavior. In male rats, SAP behavior requires insular oxytocin but there are noteworthy sex differences in the oxytocin receptor distribution in rats. Oxytocin (500nM) administered to the insula did not alter social behavior but oxytocin infusions to the BLA increased social interaction. In sum, female rats appear to use the same BLA and insula regions for social affective behavior but sex differences exist in contribution of oxytocin in the insula.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Djerdjaj
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
| | - Nathaniel S Rieger
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
| | - Bridget H Brady
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
| | - Bridget N Carey
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
| | - Alexandra J Ng
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
| | - John P Christianson
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
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18
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Guex R, Meaux E, Mégevand P, Domínguez-Borràs J, Seeck M, Vuilleumier P. Frequency-specific gaze modulation of emotional face processing in the human amygdala. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:4859-4869. [PMID: 36155769 PMCID: PMC10110432 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Determining the social significance of emotional face expression is of major importance for adaptive behavior, and gaze direction provides critical information in this process. The amygdala is implicated in both emotion and gaze processing, but how and when it integrates expression and gaze cues remains unresolved. We tackled this question using intracranial electroencephalography in epileptic patients to assess both amygdala (n = 12) and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC; n = 11) time-frequency evoked responses to faces with different emotional expressions and different gaze directions. As predicted, self-relevant threat signals (averted fearful and directed angry faces) elicited stronger amygdala activity than self-irrelevant threat (directed fearful and averted angry faces). Fear effects started at early latencies in both amygdala and OFC (~110 and 160 ms, respectively), while gaze direction effects and their interaction with emotion occurred at later latencies. Critically, the amygdala showed differential gamma band increases to fearful averted gaze (starting ~550 ms) and to angry directed gaze (~470 ms). Moreover, when comparing the 2 self-relevant threat conditions among them, we found higher gamma amygdala activity for averted fearful faces and higher beta OFC activity for angry directed faces. Together, these results reveal for the first time frequency-specific effects of emotion and gaze on amygdala and OFC neural activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphael Guex
- Department of Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Geneva-Campus Biotech, HUG, Chem. des Mines 9, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland.,Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Geneva-HUG, Rue Gabrielle-Perret-Gentil 4, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland.,Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Chem. des Mines 9, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Emilie Meaux
- Department of Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Geneva-Campus Biotech, HUG, Chem. des Mines 9, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Pierre Mégevand
- Department of Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Geneva-Campus Biotech, HUG, Chem. des Mines 9, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland.,Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Geneva-HUG, Rue Gabrielle-Perret-Gentil 4, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Judith Domínguez-Borràs
- Department of Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Geneva-Campus Biotech, HUG, Chem. des Mines 9, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland.,Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Chem. des Mines 9, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland.,Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, University of Barcelona: Passeig de laVall d'Hebron, 171 08035 Barcelona
| | - Margitta Seeck
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Geneva-HUG, Rue Gabrielle-Perret-Gentil 4, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Patrik Vuilleumier
- Department of Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Geneva-Campus Biotech, HUG, Chem. des Mines 9, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland.,Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Chem. des Mines 9, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland
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19
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Samandra R, Haque ZZ, Rosa MGP, Mansouri FA. The marmoset as a model for investigating the neural basis of social cognition in health and disease. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 138:104692. [PMID: 35569579 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Social-cognitive processes facilitate the use of environmental cues to understand others, and to be understood by others. Animal models provide vital insights into the neural underpinning of social behaviours. To understand social cognition at even deeper behavioural, cognitive, neural, and molecular levels, we need to develop more representative study models, which allow testing of novel hypotheses using human-relevant cognitive tasks. Due to their cooperative breeding system and relatively small size, common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) offer a promising translational model for such endeavours. In addition to having social behavioural patterns and group dynamics analogous to those of humans, marmosets have cortical brain areas relevant for the mechanistic analysis of human social cognition, albeit in simplified form. Thus, they are likely suitable animal models for deciphering the physiological processes, connectivity and molecular mechanisms supporting advanced cognitive functions. Here, we review findings emerging from marmoset social and behavioural studies, which have already provided significant insights into executive, motivational, social, and emotional dysfunction associated with neurological and psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ranshikha Samandra
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Physiology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Zakia Z Haque
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Physiology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Marcello G P Rosa
- Department of Physiology and Neuroscience Program, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia; ARC Centre for Integrative Brain Function, Monash University, Australia.
| | - Farshad Alizadeh Mansouri
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Physiology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia; ARC Centre for Integrative Brain Function, Monash University, Australia.
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20
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Dal Monte O, Fan S, Fagan NA, Chu CCJ, Zhou MB, Putnam PT, Nair AR, Chang SWC. Widespread implementations of interactive social gaze neurons in the primate prefrontal-amygdala networks. Neuron 2022; 110:2183-2197.e7. [PMID: 35545090 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Social gaze interaction powerfully shapes interpersonal communication. However, compared with social perception, very little is known about the neuronal underpinnings of real-life social gaze interaction. Here, we studied a large number of neurons spanning four regions in primate prefrontal-amygdala networks and demonstrate robust single-cell foundations of interactive social gaze in the orbitofrontal, dorsomedial prefrontal, and anterior cingulate cortices, in addition to the amygdala. Many neurons in these areas exhibited high temporal heterogeneity for social discriminability, with a selectivity bias for looking at a conspecific compared with an object. Notably, a large proportion of neurons in each brain region parametrically tracked the gaze of self or other, providing substrates for social gaze monitoring. Furthermore, several neurons displayed selective encoding of mutual eye contact in an agent-specific manner. These findings provide evidence of widespread implementations of interactive social gaze neurons in the primate prefrontal-amygdala networks during social gaze interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Dal Monte
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Turin, 10124 Torino, Italy
| | - Siqi Fan
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Nicholas A Fagan
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Cheng-Chi J Chu
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Michael B Zhou
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Philip T Putnam
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Amrita R Nair
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Steve W C Chang
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.
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21
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Murray EA, Fellows LK. Prefrontal cortex interactions with the amygdala in primates. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:163-179. [PMID: 34446829 PMCID: PMC8616954 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01128-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
This review addresses functional interactions between the primate prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the amygdala, with emphasis on their contributions to behavior and cognition. The interplay between these two telencephalic structures contributes to adaptive behavior and to the evolutionary success of all primate species. In our species, dysfunction in this circuitry creates vulnerabilities to psychopathologies. Here, we describe amygdala-PFC contributions to behaviors that have direct relevance to Darwinian fitness: learned approach and avoidance, foraging, predator defense, and social signaling, which have in common the need for flexibility and sensitivity to specific and rapidly changing contexts. Examples include the prediction of positive outcomes, such as food availability, food desirability, and various social rewards, or of negative outcomes, such as threats of harm from predators or conspecifics. To promote fitness optimally, these stimulus-outcome associations need to be rapidly updated when an associative contingency changes or when the value of a predicted outcome changes. We review evidence from nonhuman primates implicating the PFC, the amygdala, and their functional interactions in these processes, with links to experimental work and clinical findings in humans where possible.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lesley K Fellows
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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22
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Cao R, Todorov A, Brandmeir NJ, Wang S. Task Modulation of Single-Neuron Activity in the Human Amygdala and Hippocampus. eNeuro 2022; 9:ENEURO.0398-21.2021. [PMID: 34933946 PMCID: PMC8805196 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0398-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2021] [Revised: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The human amygdala and hippocampus are critically involved in various processes in face perception. However, it remains unclear how task demands or evaluative contexts modulate processes underlying face perception. In this study, we employed two task instructions when participants viewed the same faces and recorded single-neuron activity from the human amygdala and hippocampus. We comprehensively analyzed task modulation for three key aspects of face processing and we found that neurons in the amygdala and hippocampus (1) encoded high-level social traits such as perceived facial trustworthiness and dominance and this response was modulated by task instructions; (2) encoded low-level facial features and demonstrated region-based feature coding, which was not modulated by task instructions; and (3) encoded fixations on salient face parts such as the eyes and mouth, which was not modulated by task instructions. Together, our results provide a comprehensive survey of task modulation of neural processes underlying face perception at the single-neuron level in the human amygdala and hippocampus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Runnan Cao
- Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506
| | | | | | - Shuo Wang
- Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110
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23
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Domínguez-Borràs J, Vuilleumier P. Amygdala function in emotion, cognition, and behavior. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2022; 187:359-380. [PMID: 35964983 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-823493-8.00015-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The amygdala is a core structure in the anterior medial temporal lobe, with an important role in several brain functions involving memory, emotion, perception, social cognition, and even awareness. As a key brain structure for saliency detection, it triggers and controls widespread modulatory signals onto multiple areas of the brain, with a great impact on numerous aspects of adaptive behavior. Here we discuss the neural mechanisms underlying these functions, as established by animal and human research, including insights provided in both healthy and pathological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith Domínguez-Borràs
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology & Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Patrik Vuilleumier
- Department of Neuroscience and Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
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24
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Yokoyama C, Autio JA, Ikeda T, Sallet J, Mars RB, Van Essen DC, Glasser MF, Sadato N, Hayashi T. Comparative connectomics of the primate social brain. Neuroimage 2021; 245:118693. [PMID: 34732327 PMCID: PMC9159291 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Revised: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Social interaction is thought to provide a selection pressure for human intelligence, yet little is known about its neurobiological basis and evolution throughout the primate lineage. Recent advances in neuroimaging have enabled whole brain investigation of brain structure, function, and connectivity in humans and non-human primates (NHPs), leading to a nascent field of comparative connectomics. However, linking social behavior to brain organization across the primates remains challenging. Here, we review the current understanding of the macroscale neural mechanisms of social behaviors from the viewpoint of system neuroscience. We first demonstrate an association between the number of cortical neurons and the size of social groups across primates, suggesting a link between neural information-processing capacity and social capabilities. Moreover, by capitalizing on recent advances in species-harmonized functional MRI, we demonstrate that portions of the mirror neuron system and default-mode networks, which are thought to be important for representation of the other's actions and sense of self, respectively, exhibit similarities in functional organization in macaque monkeys and humans, suggesting possible homologies. With respect to these two networks, we describe recent developments in the neurobiology of social perception, joint attention, personality and social complexity. Together, the Human Connectome Project (HCP)-style comparative neuroimaging, hyperscanning, behavioral, and other multi-modal investigations are expected to yield important insights into the evolutionary foundations of human social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chihiro Yokoyama
- Laboratory for Brain Connectomics Imaging, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, 6-7-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan.
| | - Joonas A Autio
- Laboratory for Brain Connectomics Imaging, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, 6-7-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan
| | - Takuro Ikeda
- Laboratory for Brain Connectomics Imaging, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, 6-7-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan
| | - Jérôme Sallet
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford University, Oxford, United Kingdom; University of Lyon, Université Lyon 1, Inserm, Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute U1208, Bron, France
| | - Rogier B Mars
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB), Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - David C Van Essen
- Departments of Neuroscience, Washington University Medical School, St Louis, MO, United States of America
| | - Matthew F Glasser
- Departments of Neuroscience, Washington University Medical School, St Louis, MO, United States of America; Department of Radiology, Washington University Medical School, St Louis, MO, United States of America
| | - Norihiro Sadato
- National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki, Japan; The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Takuya Hayashi
- Laboratory for Brain Connectomics Imaging, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, 6-7-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan; School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
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Cao R, Li X, Brandmeir NJ, Wang S. Encoding of facial features by single neurons in the human amygdala and hippocampus. Commun Biol 2021; 4:1394. [PMID: 34907323 PMCID: PMC8671411 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02917-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Faces are salient social stimuli that attract a stereotypical pattern of eye movement. The human amygdala and hippocampus are involved in various aspects of face processing; however, it remains unclear how they encode the content of fixations when viewing faces. To answer this question, we employed single-neuron recordings with simultaneous eye tracking when participants viewed natural face stimuli. We found a class of neurons in the human amygdala and hippocampus that encoded salient facial features such as the eyes and mouth. With a control experiment using non-face stimuli, we further showed that feature selectivity was specific to faces. We also found another population of neurons that differentiated saccades to the eyes vs. the mouth. Population decoding confirmed our results and further revealed the temporal dynamics of face feature coding. Interestingly, we found that the amygdala and hippocampus played different roles in encoding facial features. Lastly, we revealed two functional roles of feature-selective neurons: 1) they encoded the salient region for face recognition, and 2) they were related to perceived social trait judgments. Together, our results link eye movement with neural face processing and provide important mechanistic insights for human face perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Runnan Cao
- Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA.
| | - Xin Li
- Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA
| | - Nicholas J Brandmeir
- Department of Neurosurgery, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA
| | - Shuo Wang
- Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA.
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
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26
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Perigenual and Subgenual Anterior Cingulate Afferents Converge on Common Pyramidal Cells in Amygdala Subregions of the Macaque. J Neurosci 2021; 41:9742-9755. [PMID: 34649954 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1056-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Revised: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The subgenual (sgACC) and perigenual (pgACC) anterior cingulate are important afferents of the amygdala, with different cytoarchitecture, connectivity, and function. The sgACC is associated with arousal mechanisms linked to salient cues, whereas the pgACC is engaged in conflict decision-making, including in social contexts. After placing same-size, small volume tracer injections into sgACC and pgACC of the same hemisphere in male macaques, we examined anterogradely labeled fiber distribution to understand how these different functional systems communicate in the main amygdala nuclei at both mesocopic and cellular levels. The sgACC has broad-based termination patterns. In contrast, the pgACC has a more restricted pattern, which was always nested in sgACC terminals. Terminal overlap occurred in subregions of the accessory basal and basal nuclei, which we termed "hotspots." In triple-labeling confocal studies, the majority of randomly selected CaMKIIα-positive cells (putative amygdala glutamatergic neurons) in hotspots received dual contacts from the sgACC and pgACC. The ratio of dual contacts occurred over a surprisingly narrow range, suggesting a consistent, tight balance of afferent contacts on postsynaptic neurons. Large boutons, which are associated with greater synaptic strength, were ∼3 times more frequent on sgACC versus pgACC axon terminals in hotspots, consistent with a fast "driver" function. Together, the results reveal a nested interaction in which pgACC ("conflict/social monitoring") terminals converge with the broader sgACC ("salience") terminals at both the mesoscopic and cellular level. The presynaptic organization in hotspots suggests that shifts in arousal states can rapidly and flexibly influence decision-making functions in the amygdala.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The subgenual (sgACC) and perigenual cingulate (pgACC) have distinct structural and functional characteristics and are important afferent modulators of the amygdala. The sgACC is critical for arousal, whereas the pgACC mediates conflict-monitoring, including in social contexts. Using dual tracer injections in the same monkey, we found that sgACC inputs broadly project in the main amygdala nuclei, whereas pgACC inputs were more restricted and nested in zones containing sgACC terminals (hotspots). The majority of CaMKIIα + (excitatory) amygdala neurons in hotspots received converging contacts, which were tightly balanced. pgACC and sgACC afferent streams are therefore highly interdependent in these specific amygdala subregions, permitting "internal arousal" states to rapidly shape responses of amygdala neurons involved in conflict and social monitoring networks.
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27
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Báez-Mendoza R, Vázquez Y, Mastrobattista EP, Williams ZM. Neuronal Circuits for Social Decision-Making and Their Clinical Implications. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:720294. [PMID: 34658766 PMCID: PMC8517320 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.720294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Social living facilitates individual access to rewards, cognitive resources, and objects that would not be otherwise accessible. There are, however, some drawbacks to social living, particularly when competing for scarce resources. Furthermore, variability in our ability to make social decisions can be associated with neuropsychiatric disorders. The neuronal mechanisms underlying social decision-making are beginning to be understood. The momentum to study this phenomenon has been partially carried over by the study of economic decision-making. Yet, because of the similarities between these different types of decision-making, it is unclear what is a social decision. Here, we propose a definition of social decision-making as choices taken in a context where one or more conspecifics are involved in the decision or the consequences of it. Social decisions can be conceptualized as complex economic decisions since they are based on the subjective preferences between different goods. During social decisions, individuals choose based on their internal value estimate of the different alternatives. These are complex decisions given that conspecifics beliefs or actions could modify the subject's internal valuations at every choice. Here, we first review recent developments in our collective understanding of the neuronal mechanisms and circuits of social decision-making in primates. We then review literature characterizing populations with neuropsychiatric disorders showing deficits in social decision-making and the underlying neuronal circuitries associated with these deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raymundo Báez-Mendoza
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Yuriria Vázquez
- Laboratory of Neural Systems, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Emma P. Mastrobattista
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Ziv M. Williams
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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28
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Putnam PT, Chang SWC. Toward a holistic view of value and social processing in the amygdala: Insights from primate behavioral neurophysiology. Behav Brain Res 2021; 411:113356. [PMID: 33989727 PMCID: PMC8238892 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2021] [Revised: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Located medially within the temporal lobes, the amygdala is a formation of heterogenous nuclei that has emerged as a target for investigations into the neural bases of both primitive and complex behaviors. Although modern neuroscience has eschewed the practice of assigning broad functions to distinct brain regions, the amygdala has classically been associated with regulating negative emotional processes (such as fear or aggression), primarily through research performed in rodent models. Contemporary studies, particularly those in non-human primate models, have provided evidence for a role of the amygdala in other aspects of cognition such as valuation of stimuli or shaping social behaviors. Consequently, many modern perspectives now also emphasize the amygdala's role in processing positive affect and social behaviors. Importantly, several recent experiments have examined the intersection of two seemingly autonomous domains; how both valence/value and social stimuli are simultaneously represented in the amygdala. Results from these studies suggest that there is an overlap between valence/value processing and the processing of social behaviors at the level of single neurons. These findings have prompted researchers investigating the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying social interactions to question what contributions reward-related processes in the amygdala make in shaping social behaviors. In this review, we will examine evidence, primarily from primate neurophysiology, suggesting that value-related processes in the amygdala interact with the processing of social stimuli, and explore holistic hypotheses about how these amygdalar interactions might be instantiated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip T Putnam
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, United States.
| | - Steve W C Chang
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, United States; Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, United States; Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06511, United States
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29
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Grabenhorst F, Schultz W. Functions of primate amygdala neurons in economic decisions and social decision simulation. Behav Brain Res 2021; 409:113318. [PMID: 33901436 PMCID: PMC8164162 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Long implicated in aversive processing, the amygdala is now recognized as a key component of the brain systems that process rewards. Beyond reward valuation, recent findings from single-neuron recordings in monkeys indicate that primate amygdala neurons also play an important role in decision-making. The reward value signals encoded by amygdala neurons constitute suitable inputs to economic decision processes by being sensitive to reward contingency, relative reward quantity and temporal reward structure. During reward-based decisions, individual amygdala neurons encode both the value inputs and corresponding choice outputs of economic decision processes. The presence of such value-to-choice transitions in single amygdala neurons, together with other well-defined signatures of decision computation, indicate that a decision mechanism may be implemented locally within the primate amygdala. During social observation, specific amygdala neurons spontaneously encode these decision signatures to predict the choices of social partners, suggesting neural simulation of the partner's decision-making. The activity of these 'simulation neurons' could arise naturally from convergence between value neurons and social, self-other discriminating neurons. These findings identify single-neuron building blocks and computational architectures for decision-making and social behavior in the primate amygdala. An emerging understanding of the decision function of primate amygdala neurons can help identify potential vulnerabilities for amygdala dysfunction in human conditions afflicting social cognition and mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Grabenhorst
- Department of Physiology, Development & Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3DY, UK.
| | - Wolfram Schultz
- Department of Physiology, Development & Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3DY, UK.
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30
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Mulholland MM, Mahovetz LM, Mareno MC, Reamer LA, Schapiro SJ, Hopkins WD. Differences in the mutual eye gaze of bonobos (Pan paniscus) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2021; 134:318-322. [PMID: 32804530 DOI: 10.1037/com0000247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Eye gaze is widespread in nonhuman primate taxa and important for social cognition and communicative signaling. Bonobos and chimpanzees, two closely related primate species, differ in social organization, behavior, and cognition. Chimpanzees' eye gaze and gaze following has been studied extensively, whereas less is known about bonobos' eye gaze. To examine species differences using a more ecologically relevant measure than videos or pictures, the current study compared bonobo and chimpanzee mutual eye gaze with a human observer. A multivariate analysis of variance revealed significant species differences in frequency and total duration, but not bout length, of mutual eye gaze (p < .001). Specifically, bonobos engage in mutual eye gaze more frequently and for longer total duration than chimpanzees. These results are likely related to species differences in social behavior and temperament and are consistent with eye-tracking studies in which bonobos looked at the eye region of conspecifics (in pictures and videos) longer than chimpanzees. Future research should examine the relationship between mutual eye gaze and gaze following, as well as examine its genetic and neurological correlates. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mary Catherine Mareno
- Department of Comparative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
| | - Lisa A Reamer
- Department of Comparative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
| | - Steven J Schapiro
- Department of Comparative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
| | - William D Hopkins
- Department of Comparative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
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31
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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: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [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.
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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
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32
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Gilardeau S, Cirillo R, Jazayeri M, Dupuis C, Wirth S, Duhamel JR. Two functions of the primate amygdala in social gaze. Neuropsychologia 2021; 157:107881. [PMID: 33961862 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.107881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Revised: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Appropriate gaze interaction is essential for primate social life. Prior studies have suggested the involvement of the amygdala in processing eye cues but its role in gaze behavior during live social exchanges remains unknown. We recorded the activity of neurons in the amygdala of two monkeys as they engaged in spontaneous visual interactions. We showed that monkeys adjust their oculomotor behavior and actively seek to interact with each other through mutual gaze. During fixations on the eye region, some amygdala neurons responded with short latency and more strongly to mutual than non-reciprocal gaze (averted gaze). Other neurons responded with long latency and were more strongly modulated by active, self-terminated mutual gaze fixations than by passively terminated ones. These results suggest that the amygdala not only participates to the evaluation of eye contact, but also plays a role in the timing of fixations which is crucial for adaptive social interactions through gaze.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Gilardeau
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5229, 67 Boulevard Pinel, 69675, Bron Cedex, France
| | - Rossella Cirillo
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5229, 67 Boulevard Pinel, 69675, Bron Cedex, France
| | - Mina Jazayeri
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5229, 67 Boulevard Pinel, 69675, Bron Cedex, France
| | - Chloé Dupuis
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5229, 67 Boulevard Pinel, 69675, Bron Cedex, France
| | - Sylvia Wirth
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5229, 67 Boulevard Pinel, 69675, Bron Cedex, France
| | - Jean-René Duhamel
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5229, 67 Boulevard Pinel, 69675, Bron Cedex, France.
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33
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Stephenson LJ, Edwards SG, Bayliss AP. From Gaze Perception to Social Cognition: The Shared-Attention System. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2021; 16:553-576. [PMID: 33567223 PMCID: PMC8114330 DOI: 10.1177/1745691620953773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
When two people look at the same object in the environment and are aware of each other's attentional state, they find themselves in a shared-attention episode. This can occur through intentional or incidental signaling and, in either case, causes an exchange of information between the two parties about the environment and each other's mental states. In this article, we give an overview of what is known about the building blocks of shared attention (gaze perception and joint attention) and focus on bringing to bear new findings on the initiation of shared attention that complement knowledge about gaze following and incorporate new insights from research into the sense of agency. We also present a neurocognitive model, incorporating first-, second-, and third-order social cognitive processes (the shared-attention system, or SAS), building on previous models and approaches. The SAS model aims to encompass perceptual, cognitive, and affective processes that contribute to and follow on from the establishment of shared attention. These processes include fundamental components of social cognition such as reward, affective evaluation, agency, empathy, and theory of mind.
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34
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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.
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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.
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35
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Putnam PT, Chang SWC. Social processing by the primate medial frontal cortex. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2021; 158:213-248. [PMID: 33785146 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2020.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The primate medial frontal cortex is comprised of several brain regions that are consistently implicated in regulating complex social behaviors. The medial frontal cortex is also critically involved in many non-social behaviors, such as those involved in reward, affective, and decision-making processes, broadly implicating the fundamental role of the medial frontal cortex in internally guided cognition. An essential question therefore is what unique contributions, if any, does the medial frontal cortex make to social behaviors? In this chapter, we outline several neural algorithms necessary for mediating adaptive social interactions and discuss selected evidence from behavioral neurophysiology experiments supporting the role of the medial frontal cortex in implementing these algorithms. By doing so, we primarily focus on research in nonhuman primates and examine several key attributes of the medial frontal cortex. Specifically, we review neuronal substrates in the medial frontal cortex uniquely suitable for enabling social monitoring, observational and vicarious learning, as well as predicting the behaviors of social partners. Moreover, by utilizing the three levels of organization in information processing systems proposed by Marr (1982) and recently adapted by Lockwood, Apps, and Chang (2020) for social information processing, we survey selected social functions of the medial frontal cortex through the lens of socially relevant algorithms and implementations. Overall, this chapter provides a broad overview of the behavioral neurophysiology literature endorsing the importance of socially relevant neural algorithms implemented by the primate medial frontal cortex for regulating social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip T Putnam
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States.
| | - Steve W C Chang
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States; Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States; Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
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36
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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'.
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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
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37
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Hesse JK, Tsao DY. The macaque face patch system: a turtle’s underbelly for the brain. Nat Rev Neurosci 2020; 21:695-716. [DOI: 10.1038/s41583-020-00393-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/30/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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38
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Freiwald WA. Social interaction networks in the primate brain. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2020; 65:49-58. [PMID: 33065333 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2020.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Revised: 08/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Primate brains have evolved to understand and engage with their social world. Much about the structure of this world can be gleaned from social interactions. Circuits for the analysis of and participation in social interactions have now been mapped. Increased knowledge about their functional specializations and relative spatial locations promises to greatly improve the understanding of the functional organization of the primate social brain. Detailed electrophysiology, as in the case of the face-processing network, of local operations and functional interactions between areas is necessary to uncover neural mechanisms and computation principles of social cognition. New naturalistic behavioral paradigms, behavioral tracking, and new analytical approaches for parallel non-stationary data will be important components toward a neuroscientific theory of primates' interactive minds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Winrich A Freiwald
- The Rockefeller University, New York, United States; Center for Brains, Minds, and Machines, United States.
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39
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Abstract
In humans and macaque monkeys, socially relevant face processing is accomplished via a distributed functional network that includes specialized patches in frontal cortex. It is unclear whether a similar network exists in New World primates, who diverged ~35 million years from Old World primates. The common marmoset is a New World primate species ideally placed to address this question given their complex social repertoire. Here, we demonstrate the existence of a putative high-level face processing network in marmosets. Like Old World primates, marmosets show differential activation in anterior cingulate and lateral prefrontal cortices while they view socially relevant videos of marmoset faces. We corroborate the locations of these frontal regions by demonstrating functional and structural connectivity between these regions and temporal lobe face patches. Given the evolutionary separation between macaques and marmosets, our results suggest this frontal network specialized for social face processing predates the separation between Platyrrhini and Catarrhini. In Old World primates, socially relevant face processing is accomplished via a distributed functional network including specialized patches in the frontal cortex. Here, the authors demonstrate a similar network in frontal cortex of New World marmoset monkeys, suggesting inheritance from a common ancestor.
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Pryluk R, Shohat Y, Morozov A, Friedman D, Taub AH, Paz R. Shared yet dissociable neural codes across eye gaze, valence and expectation. Nature 2020; 586:95-100. [PMID: 32968281 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2740-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2019] [Accepted: 06/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The direction of the eye gaze of others is a prominent social cue in primates and is important for communication1-11. Although gaze can signal threat and elicit anxiety6,12,13, it remains unclear whether it shares neural circuitry with stimulus value. Notably, gaze not only has valence, but can also serve as a predictor of the outcome of a social encounter, which can be either negative or positive2,8,12,13. Here we show that the neural codes for gaze and valence overlap in primates and that they involve two different mechanisms: one for the outcome and another for its expectation. Monkeys participated in the human intruder test13,14, in which a human participant had either a direct or averted gaze, interleaved with blocks of aversive and appetitive conditioning. We find that single neurons in the amygdala encode gaze15, whereas neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex encode the social context16, but not gaze. We identify a shared population in the amygdala for which the neural responses to direct and averted gaze parallel the responses to aversive and appetitive stimulus, respectively. Furthermore, we distinguish between two neural mechanisms-an overall-activity scheme that is used for gaze and the unconditioned stimulus, and a correlated-selectivity scheme that is used for gaze and the conditioned stimulus. These findings provide insights into the origins of the neural mechanisms that underlie the computations of both social interactions and valence, and could help to shed light on mechanisms that underlie social anxiety and the comorbidity between anxiety and impaired social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raviv Pryluk
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Yosef Shohat
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Anna Morozov
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Dafna Friedman
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Aryeh H Taub
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Rony Paz
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
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Morrow JK, Cohen MX, Gothard KM. Mesoscopic-scale functional networks in the primate amygdala. eLife 2020; 9:57341. [PMID: 32876047 PMCID: PMC7490012 DOI: 10.7554/elife.57341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The primate amygdala performs multiple functions that may be related to the anatomical heterogeneity of its nuclei. Individual neurons with stimulus- and task-specific responses are not clustered in any of the nuclei, suggesting that single-units may be too-fine grained to shed light on the mesoscale organization of the amygdala. We have extracted from local field potentials recorded simultaneously from multiple locations within the primate (Macaca mulatta) amygdala spatially defined and statistically separable responses to visual, tactile, and auditory stimuli. A generalized eigendecomposition-based method of source separation isolated coactivity patterns, or components, that in neurophysiological terms correspond to putative subnetworks. Some component spatial patterns mapped onto the anatomical organization of the amygdala, while other components reflected integration across nuclei. These components differentiated between visual, tactile, and auditory stimuli suggesting the presence of functionally distinct parallel subnetworks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremiah K Morrow
- Department of Physiology, University of Arizona, Tucson, United States.,Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Sciences University, Portland, United States
| | - Michael X Cohen
- Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands.,Donders Center for Neuroscience, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Katalin M Gothard
- Department of Physiology, University of Arizona, Tucson, United States
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Abstract
Brain-wide circuits that coordinate affective and social behaviours intersect in the amygdala. Consequently, amygdala lesions cause a heterogeneous array of social and non-social deficits. Social behaviours are not localized to subdivisions of the amygdala even though the inputs and outputs that carry social signals are anatomically restricted to distinct subnuclear regions. This observation may be explained by the multidimensional response properties of the component neurons. Indeed, the multitudes of circuits that converge in the amygdala enlist the same subset of neurons into different ensembles that combine social and non-social elements into high-dimensional representations. These representations may enable flexible, context-dependent social decisions. As such, multidimensional processing may operate in parallel with subcircuits of genetically identical neurons that serve specialized and functionally dissociable functions. When combined, the activity of specialized circuits may grant specificity to social behaviours, whereas multidimensional processing facilitates the flexibility and nuance needed for complex social behaviour.
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A Naturalistic Dynamic Monkey Head Avatar Elicits Species-Typical Reactions and Overcomes the Uncanny Valley. eNeuro 2020; 7:ENEURO.0524-19.2020. [PMID: 32513660 PMCID: PMC7340843 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0524-19.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Revised: 03/31/2020] [Accepted: 04/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Research on social perception in monkeys may benefit from standardized, controllable, and ethologically valid renditions of conspecifics offered by monkey avatars. However, previous work has cautioned that monkeys, like humans, show an adverse reaction toward realistic synthetic stimuli, known as the "uncanny valley" effect. We developed an improved naturalistic rhesus monkey face avatar capable of producing facial expressions (fear grin, lip smack and threat), animated by motion capture data of real monkeys. For validation, we additionally created decreasingly naturalistic avatar variants. Eight rhesus macaques were tested on the various videos and avoided looking at less naturalistic avatar variants, but not at the most naturalistic or the most unnaturalistic avatar, indicating an uncanny valley effect for the less naturalistic avatar versions. The avoidance was deepened by motion and accompanied by physiological arousal. Only the most naturalistic avatar evoked facial expressions comparable to those toward the real monkey videos. Hence, our findings demonstrate that the uncanny valley reaction in monkeys can be overcome by a highly naturalistic avatar.
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Leopold DA, Park SH. Studying the visual brain in its natural rhythm. Neuroimage 2020; 216:116790. [PMID: 32278093 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2019] [Revised: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
How the brain fluidly orchestrates visual behavior is a central question in cognitive neuroscience. Researchers studying neural responses in humans and nonhuman primates have mapped out visual response profiles and cognitive modulation in a large number of brain areas, most often using pared down stimuli and highly controlled behavioral paradigms. The historical emphasis on reductionism has placed most studies at one pole of an inherent trade-off between strictly controlled experimental variables and open designs that monitor the brain during its natural modes of operation. This bias toward simplified experiments has strongly shaped the field of visual neuroscience, with little guarantee that the principles and concepts established within that framework will apply more generally. In recent years, a growing number of studies have begun to relax strict experimental control with the aim of understanding how the brain responds under more naturalistic conditions. In this article, we survey research that has explicitly embraced the complexity and rhythm of natural vision. We focus on those studies most pertinent to understanding high-level visual specializations in brains of humans and nonhuman primates. We conclude that representationalist concepts borne from conventional visual experiments fall short in their ability to capture the real-life visual operations undertaken by the brain. More naturalistic approaches, though fraught with experimental and analytic challenges, provide fertile ground for neuroscientists seeking new inroads to investigate how the brain supports core aspects of our daily visual experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Leopold
- Section on Cognitive Neurophysiology and Imaging, Laboratory of Neuropsychology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA; Neurophysiology Imaging Facility, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
| | - Soo Hyun Park
- Section on Cognitive Neurophysiology and Imaging, Laboratory of Neuropsychology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
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Kovner R, Oler JA, Kalin NH. Cortico-Limbic Interactions Mediate Adaptive and Maladaptive Responses Relevant to Psychopathology. Am J Psychiatry 2019; 176:987-999. [PMID: 31787014 PMCID: PMC7014786 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2019.19101064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Cortico-limbic circuits provide a substrate for adaptive behavioral and emotional responses. However, dysfunction of these circuits can result in maladaptive responses that are associated with psychopathology. The prefrontal-limbic pathways are of particular interest because they facilitate interactions among emotion, cognition, and decision-making functions, all of which are affected in psychiatric disorders. Regulatory aspects of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) are especially relevant to human psychopathology, as the PFC, in addition to its functions, is more recent from an evolutionary perspective and is considerably more complex in human and nonhuman primates compared with other species. This review provides a neuroanatomical and functional perspective of selected regions of the limbic system, the medial temporal lobe structures-the hippocampus and amygdala as well as regions of the PFC. Beyond the specific brain regions, emphasis is placed on the structure and function of critical PFC-limbic circuits, linking alterations in the processing of information across these pathways to the pathophysiology and psychopathology of various psychiatric illnesses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rothem Kovner
- Department of Neuroscience and Kavli Institute of Neuroscience,
Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn
| | - Jonathan A. Oler
- Department of Psychiatry and HealthEmotions Research Institute,
University of Wisconsin, Madison
| | - Ned H. Kalin
- Department of Psychiatry and HealthEmotions Research Institute,
University of Wisconsin, Madison
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Burgos-Robles A, Gothard KM, Monfils MH, Morozov A, Vicentic A. Conserved features of anterior cingulate networks support observational learning across species. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 107:215-228. [PMID: 31509768 PMCID: PMC6875610 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2019] [Revised: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 09/06/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The ability to observe, interpret, and learn behaviors and emotions from conspecifics is crucial for survival, as it bypasses direct experience to avoid potential dangers and maximize rewards and benefits. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and its extended neural connections are emerging as important networks for the detection, encoding, and interpretation of social signals during observational learning. Evidence from rodents and primates (including humans) suggests that the social interactions that occur while individuals are exposed to important information in their environment lead to transfer of information across individuals that promotes adaptive behaviors in the form of either social affiliation, alertness, or avoidance. In this review, we first showcase anatomical and functional connections of the ACC in primates and rodents that contribute to the perception of social signals. We then discuss species-specific cognitive and social functions of the ACC and differentiate between neural activity related to 'self' and 'other', extending into the difference between social signals received and processed by the self, versus observing social interactions among others. We next describe behavioral and neural events that contribute to social learning via observation. Finally, we discuss some of the neural mechanisms underlying observational learning within the ACC and its extended network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Burgos-Robles
- Department of Biology, Neuroscience Institute, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA; Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
| | - Katalin M Gothard
- Department of Physiology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
| | - Marie H Monfils
- Department of Psychology, Institute for Mental Health Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Alexei Morozov
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke, VA 24016, USA
| | - Aleksandra Vicentic
- Division of Neuroscience and Basic Behavioral Science, National Institute of Mental Health, Rockville, MD 20852, USA.
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Multidimensional Neural Selectivity in the Primate Amygdala. eNeuro 2019; 6:ENEURO.0153-19.2019. [PMID: 31533960 PMCID: PMC6791828 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0153-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Revised: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 09/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The amygdala contributes to multiple functions including attention allocation, sensory processing, decision-making, and the elaboration of emotional behaviors. The diversity of functions attributed to the amygdala is reflected in the response selectivity of its component neurons. Previous work claimed that subsets of neurons differentiate between broad categories of stimuli (e.g., objects vs faces, rewards vs punishment), while other subsets are narrowly specialized to respond to individual faces or facial features (e.g., eyes). Here we explored the extent to which the same neurons contribute to more than one neural subpopulation in a task that activated multiple functions of the amygdala. The subjects (Macaca mulatta) watched videos depicting conspecifics or inanimate objects, and learned by trial and error to choose the individuals or objects associated with the highest rewards. We found that the same neurons responded selectively to two or more of the following task events or stimulus features: (1) alerting, task-related stimuli (fixation icon, video start, and video end); (2) reward magnitude; (3) stimulus categories (social vs nonsocial); and (4) stimulus-unique features (faces, eyes). A disproportionate number of neurons showed selectivity for all of the examined stimulus features and task events. These results suggest that neurons that appear specialized and uniquely tuned to specific stimuli (e.g., face cells, eye cells) are likely to respond to multiple other types of stimuli or behavioral events, if/when these become behaviorally relevant in the context of a complex task. This multidimensional selectivity supports a flexible, context-dependent evaluation of inputs and subsequent decision making based on the activity of the same neural ensemble.
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Raper J, Murphy L, Richardson R, Romm Z, Kovacs-Balint Z, Payne C, Galvan A. Chemogenetic Inhibition of the Amygdala Modulates Emotional Behavior Expression in Infant Rhesus Monkeys. eNeuro 2019; 6:ENEURO.0360-19.2019. [PMID: 31541000 PMCID: PMC6791827 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0360-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2019] [Accepted: 09/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Manipulation of neuronal activity during the early postnatal period in monkeys has been largely limited to permanent lesion studies, which can be impacted by developmental plasticity leading to reorganization and compensation from other brain structures that can interfere with the interpretations of results. Chemogenetic tools, such as DREADDs (designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs), can transiently and reversibly activate or inactivate brain structures, avoiding the pitfalls of permanent lesions to better address important developmental neuroscience questions. We demonstrate that inhibitory DREADDs in the amygdala can be used to manipulate socioemotional behavior in infant monkeys. Two infant rhesus monkeys (1 male, 1 female) received AAV5-hSyn-HA-hM4Di-IRES-mCitrine injections bilaterally in the amygdala at 9 months of age. DREADD activation after systemic administration of either clozapine-N-oxide or low-dose clozapine resulted in decreased freezing and anxiety on the human intruder paradigm and changed the looking patterns on a socioemotional attention eye-tracking task, compared with vehicle administration. The DREADD-induced behaviors were reminiscent of, but not identical to, those seen after permanent amygdala lesions in infant monkeys, such that neonatal lesions produce a more extensive array of behavioral changes in response to the human intruder task that were not seen with DREADD-evoked inhibition of this region. Our results may help support the notion that the more extensive behavior changes seen after early lesions are manifested from brain reorganization that occur after permanent damage. The current study provides a proof of principle that DREADDs can be used in young infant monkeys to transiently and reversibly manipulate behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Raper
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
| | - Lauren Murphy
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
| | - Rebecca Richardson
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
| | - Zoe Romm
- Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
| | - Zsofia Kovacs-Balint
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
| | | | - Adriana Galvan
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
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Weinberg-Wolf H, Chang SWC. Differences in how macaques monitor others: Does serotonin play a central role? WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2019; 10:e1494. [PMID: 30775852 PMCID: PMC6570566 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Revised: 01/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Primates must balance the need to monitor other conspecifics to gain social information while not losing other resource opportunities. We consolidate evidence across the fields of primatology, psychology, and neuroscience to examine individual, population, and species differences in how primates, particularly macaques, monitor conspecifics. We particularly consider the role of serotonin in mediating social competency via social attention, aggression, and dominance behaviors. Finally, we consider how the evolution of variation in social tolerance, aggression, and social monitoring might be explained by differences in serotonergic function in macaques. This article is categorized under: Economics > Interactive Decision-Making Psychology > Comparative Psychology Neuroscience > Behavior Cognitive Biology > Evolutionary Roots of Cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Steve W C Chang
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
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