Simons Center for the Social Brain

A major part of animals’ sensory and cognitive abilities is used to recognize and behave appropriately with respect to socially relevant information, and the dysfunction of the “social brain” is associated with psychiatric illnesses such as autism spectrum disorders. A number of studies have established oxytocin, a peptide released by neurons in the hypothalamus, as playing a key role in multiple aspects of social cognition, but the circuitry and mechanisms of its projections and pathways remain poorly understood. Here we propose to determine the fundamental structural and functional organizing principles of this central regulatory system of the social brain.

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