Open AccessLive agent preference and social action monitoring in the macaque mid-superior temporal sulcus region
Author(s) -
Taihei Ninomiya,
Atsushi Noritake,
Masaki Isoda
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2109653118
Subject(s) - macaque , temporoparietal junction , superior temporal sulcus , psychology , mentalization , mirror neuron , cognitive psychology , action (physics) , theory of mind , population , neuroscience , functional magnetic resonance imaging , cognition , prefrontal cortex , physics , demography , quantum mechanics , sociology
Significance During live social interactions, there is increased demand for mentalizing about others to cope with otherwise unpredictable manifestations of their behavior. Anatomically, the middle superior temporal sulcus (mid-STS) region is hypothesized to be the macaque homologue of the human temporoparietal junction (TPJ), a key node in the mentalizing network. However, whether the macaque mid-STS is the functional homologue of the human TPJ is unknown. Here, we provide single-neuron evidence that the two areas share similar properties in social cognitive functions despite differences in anatomical landmarks. Our findings demonstrate that mid-STS neurons have a preference for task performance with live over video-recorded partners and encode errors in the prediction of partners’ actions, both aspects being cardinal features of the human TPJ.