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Neural signatures of natural behaviour in socializing macaques.

Camille TestardSébastien TremblayFelipe ParodiRon W DiTullioArianna Acevedo-IthierKristin L GardinerKonrad Paul KordingMichael Louis Platt
Published in: Nature (2024)
Our understanding of the neurobiology of primate behaviour largely derives from artificial tasks in highly controlled laboratory settings, overlooking most natural behaviours that primate brains evolved to produce 1-3 . How primates navigate the multidimensional social relationships that structure daily life 4 and shape survival and reproductive success 5 remains largely unclear at the single-neuron level. Here we combine ethological analysis, computer vision and wireless recording technologies to identify neural signatures of natural behaviour in unrestrained, socially interacting pairs of rhesus macaques. Single-neuron and population activity in the prefrontal and temporal cortex robustly encoded 24 species-typical behaviours, as well as social context. Male-female partners demonstrated near-perfect reciprocity in grooming, a key behavioural mechanism supporting friendships and alliances 6 , and neural activity maintained a running account of these social investments. Confronted with an aggressive intruder, behavioural and neural population responses reflected empathy and were buffered by the presence of a partner. Our findings reveal a highly distributed neurophysiological ledger of social dynamics, a potential computational foundation supporting communal life in primate societies, including our own.
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