Mesial temporal neurons in the macaque monkey with responses selective for aspects of social stimuli

Abstract

Primates possess a sophisticated cognitive ability to interpret and respond to the social actions of conspecifics. Neurons in the temporal lobes of macaque monkeys which are selective for the appearance and motions of conspecifics have been described previously; the results reported here indicate that pathways which integrate such information converge in mesial temporal regions. Single neuron data from an alert macaque viewing moving pictures of other monkeys engaged in a variety of behaviors are presented. Neurons in medial nuclei of the amygdala and adjacent mesial temporal cortex are sensitive to identity, movement, and high-level aspects of depicted scenes.