Séminaire de Jérôme Sallet

Friday April 14, 2023, at 14:30, Salle Henri Gastaut

Jérôme Sallet

(Institut Cellule Souche et Cerveau, INSERM U1208, Lyon)

On the origins of human social cognition

Abstract:
Evolution of primate brains is thought to be associated notably with demands of living in a complex social environment. Dealing with complex human social interaction is notably thought to rely on the ability to attribute mental representations to others, called Theory of Mind (TOM). The evolutionary origins of this specific ability however, has been disputed since the concept was first proposed. I will present first results from comparative anatomy studies suggesting a continuity rather than discontinuity in the anatomical organization of the primate social brain. Then inspired by theoretical developments in computational neuroscience suggesting alternative ways to compare human and animal social abilities, I will present results from functional magnetic resonance imaging in macaques suggesting the existence of a precursor for the theory of mind ability in the last common ancestor of human and old-world monkeys.