Two‐monkey fMRI setup for investigating multifaceted aspects of social cognition and behavior involving a real‐live conspecific

• Published in: NeuroImage (Orlando, Fla.) Vol. 255; p. 119187
• Main Authors: Cui, Ding, Nelissen, Koen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 15.07.2022; Elsevier Limited; Elsevier
• Subjects: Action; Animals; Brain; Brain - diagnostic imaging; Brain - physiology; Brain mapping; Cameras; Cognition; Cognition & reasoning; Experiments; Eye movements; fMRI; Functional magnetic resonance imaging; Humans; Interaction; Macaca mulatta; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Monkeys & apes; Rhesus monkey; Scanners; Social; Social Behavior; Social Cognition; Social facilitation; Social interaction; Social interactions; Social; Rhesus monkey; fMRI; Action; Interaction
• ISSN: 1053-8119; 1095-9572
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119187

While brain research over the past decades has shed light on the neural correlates of social cognition and behavior in human and non-human primates, most of this research has been performed in virtual settings requiring subjects to observe pictures or recorded videos instead of observing or interacting with another real-live individual. Here we present a two-monkey fMRI setup, allowing examining whole brain responses in macaque monkeys while they observe or interact face-to-face with another real-live conspecific. We tested this setup by comparing overall brain responses during observation of conspecific hand actions in a virtual (observation of recorded videos of actions) or live context (observation of a real-live conspecific performing actions). This dyadic monkey fMRI setup allows examining brain-wide responses in macaque monkeys during different aspects of social behavior, including observation of real-live actions and sensations, social facilitation, joint-attention and social interactions.