THE ROLE OF THE PRIMATE AMYGDALA IN GAZE FOLLOWING AND FACIAL MIMICRY

描述（由申请人提供）：注视跟随和面部模仿是人类和非人类灵长类动物社会行为的基本要素。注视跟随对于共同注意力的发展和一种被称为心智理论的心理现象至关重要。面部模仿是一种共享情感的形式，是移情的基础。这些行为在神经发育障碍和严重精神疾病（包括精神分裂症、抑郁症和社交恐惧症）中受到深刻影响。当杏仁核受损或功能异常时，凝视跟随和面部模仿也会受损，这表明杏仁核可能在这些行为中起重要作用。为了确定杏仁核在这些基本社会行为中的作用，我们建议在猴子与自然主义视频“互动”时，让它们的杏仁核失活，这些视频会引发目光跟随和面部模仿。然而，杏仁核由几个核组成，每个核具有不同的连通性和不同的功能。我们建议选择性地使杏仁核的每个主核失活，以验证以下假设：(1)灵长类动物杏仁核的基底外侧核是注视跟随所必需的，(2)中央核是面部模仿所必需的。这些假设是基于每个核群与参与社会行为的皮层和皮层下结构的已知解剖学连接。基底外侧核与控制眼球运动和高级认知功能的皮质区域相连，这可能是确定个体在看哪里所必需的。中央核与皮层下回路相连，这些回路服务于低级知觉和运动功能，这些功能可能是进行眼神交流和无意识地模仿面部表情所必需的。拟议的研究将确定不同的杏仁核在基本社会行为的阐述中的作用。这将补充我们目前对杏仁核在社会感知中的作用的理解。更详细地了解单个杏仁核在产生

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Gaze following and facial mimicry are fundamental elements of social behavior in both humans and non-human primates. Gaze following is critical for the development of shared attention and for a mental phenomenon called theory of mind. Facial mimicry is a form of shared emotion and constitutes the basis of empathy. These behaviors are profoundly affected in neurodevelopmental disorders and in severe mental illness, including schizophrenia, depression, and social phobia. When the amygdala is damaged or is functioning abnormally gaze following and facial mimicry are also impaired, suggesting that the amygdala may play an important role in these behaviors. To determine the role of the amygdala in these basic social behaviors, we propose to inactivate the amygdala of monkeys while they "interact" with naturalistic videos that elicit gaze following and facial mimicry. The amygala, however, comprises several nuclei, each with a different connectivity and different functions. We propose to inactivate selectively each main nucleus of the amygdala to test the following hypotheses: (1) the basolateral nuclei of the primate amygdala are necessary for gaze following, and (2) the central nuclei are necessary for facial mimicry. These hypotheses are based on the known anatomical connectivity of each nuclear group with cortical and subcortical structures involved in social behavior. The basolateral nuclei are connected to cortical areas involved the control of eye movements and in higher cognitive functions that might be necessary to determine where individuals are looking. The central nuclei are connected to subcortical circuits that serve low- level perceptual and motor functions that might be necessary to make eye contact and to imitate involuntarily facial expression. The proposed research will determine the role (s) of different amygdala nuclei in the elaboration of basic social behaviors. This will complement our current understanding of the role of the amygdala in social perception. A more detailed understanding of the role that individual nuclei of the amygdala play in the production of gaze following and facial mimicry will take us one step closer toward identifying the causes of shared social deficits in neurodevelopmental and other psychiatric disorders. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The current proposal is relevant to mental health because it explores the possible source of shared deficits of social behavior in neurodevelopmental disorders and in several mental illnesses. Gaze following and facial mimicry are basic behaviors on which more complex social behaviors are built and they are impaired in multiple mental disorders. The proposed research will determine any causal relationship between the functional integrity of amygdala and production of these basic social behaviors in non-human primates.