"Understanding social interactions and what others are thinking is essential for relationships. Monkeys, like humans, can recognize and interpret social interactions. Primates use behaviors like playing, grooming, and fighting to determine social rank and gain allies in their group. But how the brain processes social interactions is unknown.

Drs. Julia Sliwa and Winrich A. Freiwald at Rockefeller University investigated the neural circuitry underling how social interactions are interpreted. They examined the brains of rhesus macaque monkeys using whole-brain functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The study was funded in part by NIH’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and National Eye Institute (NEI). Results were published in Science on May 19, 2017..."

Read the full article on NIH's website using the link below.