Abstract
Social cognition is a dynamic process that requires the perception and integration of a complex set of idiosyncratic features between interacting conspecifics. Here we present a method for simultaneously measuring the whole-brain activation of two socially interacting marmoset monkeys using functional magnetic resonance imaging. MRI hardware (a radiofrequency coil and peripheral devices) and image-processing pipelines were developed to assess brain responses to socialization, both on an intra-brain and inter-brain level. Notably, the brain activation of a marmoset when viewing a second marmoset in-person versus when viewing a pre-recorded video of the same marmoset—i.e., when either capable or incapable of socially interacting with a visible conspecific—demonstrates increased activation in the face-patch network. This method enables a wide range of possibilities for potentially studying social function and dysfunction in a non-human primate model.
Highlights
Social cognition is a dynamic process that requires the perception and integration of a complex set of idiosyncratic features between interacting conspecifics
Clever implementations of functional magnetic resonance imaging involving subjects interacting over a network, called hyperscanning[2,3,4] has been employed where two people are simultaneously scanned in disparate scanners that are connected through an audio–video link
Social interaction has likewise been studied in preclinical animal models, which enables the use of multi-modal and electrophysiological measurements to assess brain activation
Summary
Social cognition is a dynamic process that requires the perception and integration of a complex set of idiosyncratic features between interacting conspecifics. The brain activation of a marmoset when viewing a second marmoset in-person versus when viewing a pre-recorded video of the same marmoset—i.e., when either capable or incapable of socially interacting with a visible conspecific—demonstrates increased activation in the face-patch network. This method enables a wide range of possibilities for potentially studying social function and dysfunction in a non-human primate model. Hyperscanning is useful for studying the unpredictability of social interactions, whereby participants’ behaviours are impacted by each other[5,6,7] It has been noted, that brain activation is increased when subjects have a truly live interconnection versus watching a recorded interaction[8]. The mere presence of another monkey during the completion of a task has been demonstrated to increase brain activity in the attention frontoparietal network using FDG-PET15
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