Featured Publications
Prefrontal–amygdala circuits in social decision-making
Gangopadhyay P, Chawla M, Dal Monte O, Chang SWC. Prefrontal–amygdala circuits in social decision-making. Nature Neuroscience 2020, 24: 5-18. PMID: 33169032, PMCID: PMC7899743, DOI: 10.1038/s41593-020-00738-9.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSocial behaviorSystems neuroscience perspectivePrefrontal-amygdala pathwaysPrefrontal-amygdala circuitsPrefrontal cortical regionsSocial cognitionNeuroscience perspectiveNeural basisNeuropeptide oxytocinBrains of primatesNeural mechanismsCortical regionsNon-human primatesSpecific instantiationSocial constructMultiple levelsCognitionNeuronal activityMultiple animal speciesNeurobiologyAmygdalaBehaviorUnderpinningsPrimatesConstructsThe anterior cingulate cortex is necessary for forming prosocial preferences from vicarious reinforcement in monkeys
Basile BM, Schafroth JL, Karaskiewicz CL, Chang SWC, Murray EA. The anterior cingulate cortex is necessary for forming prosocial preferences from vicarious reinforcement in monkeys. PLOS Biology 2020, 18: e3000677. PMID: 32530910, PMCID: PMC7292358, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000677.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAnterior cingulate cortexProsocial preferencesVicarious reinforcementCingulate cortexACC lesionsPrimate anterior cingulate cortexSocial preferencesDifferent visual cuesSocial cognitionReward outcomesReinforcement taskReward deliveryVisual cuesACC contributionSocial outcomesCuesSocial relationshipsExcitotoxic lesionsPeripheral targetsGood thingGreater tendencySelfCortexLesion groupSingle neuronsThe Anterior Cingulate Gyrus and Social Cognition: Tracking the Motivation of Others
Apps MA, Rushworth MF, Chang SW. The Anterior Cingulate Gyrus and Social Cognition: Tracking the Motivation of Others. Neuron 2016, 90: 692-707. PMID: 27196973, PMCID: PMC4885021, DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2016.04.018.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAnterior cingulate cortexSocial cognitionSocio-cognitive abilitiesAnterior cingulate gyrusCognitive processesError processingSocial informationCingulate cortexSocial interactionSocial behaviorCingulate gyrusCognitionTestable predictionsGyrusMotivationACCGFurther evidenceComputational propertiesKey mechanismCortexBehaviorProcessingEvidenceIndividualsAbilityOxytocin under opioid antagonism leads to supralinear enhancement of social attention
Dal Monte O, Piva M, Anderson KM, Tringides M, Holmes AJ, Chang SWC. Oxytocin under opioid antagonism leads to supralinear enhancement of social attention. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 2017, 114: 5247-5252. PMID: 28461466, PMCID: PMC5441805, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1702725114.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSocial attentionMutual eye contactSocial cognitionReward receiptParticular social importanceEfficacy of oxytocinEye contactSocial dysfunctionOpioid antagonismSocial contextGaze interactionHuman brainEntire sessionOxytocinΚ-opioid receptor geneFacial regionOT geneAttentionCognitionSocial importanceStrong effectMonkeysOpioid systemSessionsContext
2022
Prefrontal circuits guiding social preference: Implications in autism spectrum disorder
Fortier AV, Meisner OC, Nair AR, Chang SWC. Prefrontal circuits guiding social preference: Implications in autism spectrum disorder. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 2022, 141: 104803. PMID: 35908593, PMCID: PMC10122914, DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104803.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAutism spectrum disorderUnderlying neural mechanismsSpectrum disorderTreatment developmentSocial preferencesSocial preference behaviorSocial cognitionUnderlying neural circuitsAtypical developmentNeural mechanismsPrefrontal circuitsCircuit-level dysfunctionBehavioral disruptionNeural circuitsBehavioral deficitsAnimal model researchAnimal modelsCommon circuitsDiagnostic prevalenceConvergent circuitClinical presentationNeurological alterationsTreatment optionsEffects of dysregulationCognition
2016
Live interaction distinctively shapes social gaze dynamics in rhesus macaques
Dal Monte O, Piva M, Morris JA, Chang SW. Live interaction distinctively shapes social gaze dynamics in rhesus macaques. Journal Of Neurophysiology 2016, 116: 1626-1643. PMID: 27486105, PMCID: PMC5144716, DOI: 10.1152/jn.00442.2016.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMutual eye contactGaze dynamicsEye contactSocial cognitionProportion of fixationsInteractive social contextsPairs of monkeysFocal attentionSustained attentionLive interactionEye regionSeparable componentsFamiliar pairsMeaningful eventsSocial contextReal partnersDominant monkeysSame monkeysCognitionStatic imagesReal-time interactionAttentionMonkeys