Domain-specific representation of social inference by neurons in the human amygdala and hippocampus.

ABSTRACT: Inferring the intentions and emotions of others from behavior is crucial for social cognition. While neuroimaging studies have identified brain regions involved in social inference, it remains unknown whether performing social inference is an abstract computation that generalizes across different stimulus categories or is specific to certain stimulus domain. We recorded single-neuron activity from the medial temporal lobe (MTL) and the medial frontal cortex (MFC) in neurosurgical patients performing different types of inferences from images of faces, hands, and natural scenes. Our findings indicate distinct neuron populations in both regions encoding inference type for social (faces, hands) and nonsocial (scenes) stimuli, while stimulus category was itself represented in a task-general man

SUBMITTER: Cao R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11616683 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature