Grant: Project Grant

Our ability to socialize is essential for success and well-being. Whether we are forming friendships, remembering past interactions, or deciding whom to trust, our brains constantly process complex social information. However, conditions like autism and schizophrenia can disrupt these abilities, leading to difficulties in social interaction and long-term health impacts. Until now, most brain research on social behavior has been conducted in controlled laboratory settings, often using computers to simulate interactions. While these studies have been valuable, they don't fully capture how the brain works in real-life situations. Recently, my team took a major step forward by using wireless brain recording technology to study naturally behaving monkeys in their social environment. We identified brain activity linked to everyday behaviors like eating, mating, and socializing. However, while we observed patterns of brain activity, we couldn't determine whether these patterns were actually causing the behaviors. This research aims to understand if, and how, these brain regions control natural behavior. To do this, we will use an advanced technique called chemogenetics, which allows us to temporarily turn off specific brain areas in freely moving monkeys. By reversibly deactivating two key brain regions in the prefrontal and temporal cortex, we can see study their role in social behavior. The study has two goals: 1. Understand how turning off temporarily these brain areas affects natural behavior in socially interacting monkeys. 2. Observe how the brain's activity changes when these areas are deactivated, using wireless brain recording. By combining new cutting-edge neuroscience techniques, this research will reveal how the brain drives real-world social behavior. Ultimately, understanding these mechanisms may help identify new therapeutic targets for brain disorders that affect social interactions, like autism.