Representation of social reward and social punishment in monkey limbic system and basal ganglia

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24700423
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Fusional social brain science
• Research Institution: Kinki University
• Principal Investigator: KURAOKA Koji 近畿大学, 医学部, 助教 (10581647)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 社会的報酬 / 大脳辺縁系 / 大脳基底核 / サル / ユニット記録

Outline of Final Research Achievements

It is essential for primates which are social animals to predict upcoming value of social information regarding others. To elucidate neural mechanisms underlying above-mentioned cognitive function, we recorded activity of neurons in the monkey nucleus accumbens and amygdala in response to stimulus predicting social reward or punishment. These brain areas have been known to be involved in reward prediction or social cognition. Average activity of neurons in the nucleus accumbens conveyed value of social information in addition to value of water. By contrast, only a few neurons in the amygdala conveyed value of social information. These results indicate that the monkey ventral striatal neurons are involved in prediction of value of social information although we did not get evidence of source of social information in the nucleus accumbens.

Free Research Field

認知神経科学