Doctoral Dissertation Research: Social perception and body awareness in large-brained mammals

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This study characterizes traits that have evolved in brain regions that integrate social cognition with deep awareness of the body. From the experience of ‘gut feelings’ to the contextual nuances of social perception, these features are implicated in enhancing and expanding the human social-body connection. Different aspects of our anatomy, ancient in mammals, coordinate and integrate their activity to work toward benefitting survival and social outcomes. Humans and great apes also show some anatomical features at the cellular level, called von Economo neurons (VENs), shared with some distantly related mammals such as whales and elephants. This doctoral dissertation research project examines whether VENs evolved for similar functional reasons across mammal groups. The results of this research expand our understanding of the importance of social-body connection in the evolution of our own species’ social behavior. This study provides opportunities for aspiring undergraduate researchers to learn comparative anatomy lab techniques, and the investigators conduct outreach through science communication activities and publishing digital video tutorials for comparative neuroanatomy techniques.The study utilizes immunohistochemistry and RNAScope to compare protein/gene expression selective to VENs, found in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and anterior insular cortex (AI) and hypothesized to enhance signaling speed within social-visceral pathways. The project compares the expression of proteins associated with social and visceral regulation, and the degree to which these pathways recruit VENs, across primates, whales, and elephants. This study also extends beyond cortical regions to comparatively profile a critical node between these regions and the viscera--the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS)—which is heavily involved in mediating social-visceral processes, particularly satiety and motivation. In particular, the study focuses on social neurohormones, including oxytocin and vasopressin, across this network. Differences in neurotransmitter innervation may have implications for social and resource-sharing behavior. The findings have implications for evolutionary studies and clinically oriented research, shaping our understanding of the social brain and addressing debates surrounding how we define convergent neural morphologies.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.