Decoding the brain mechanisms behind empathy and prosocial behaviour

Cristina Márquez

Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology - Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal

This project aims to uncover how our brains understand and respond to the emotions of others. This research is crucial because our social interactions significantly influence our decisions and behaviours. Despite its importance, the brain's mechanisms for processing social information remain largely unknown.

Researchers will explore how the brain perceives rewarding states in others and uses this information to guide decision-making. New behavioural tests have been developed to study this in rats and preliminary data shows that when rats observe their peers in rewarding situations, their brains exhibit reward-related responses. This project will delve deeper into these findings, focusing on the brain connections to the region involved in social information processing. Advanced techniques will be used to map brain circuits, manipulate neuronal activity, and record high-resolution data. They aim to understand how different parts of the brain communicate to process social information and guide prosocial decisions. This knowledge could lead to new treatments for disorders like depression and autism, which affect social behaviour.

The team counts on very talented professionals, pioneers in studying complex social behaviours and the neural mechanisms underlying these behaviours. Their combined expertise will push the boundaries of our understanding of social decision-making processes.

• Alexandre Charlet, Institute for cellular and integrative neuroscience, INCI, CNRS UPR3212. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Strasbourg, France

Neural circuits underlying of the perception of other’s emotions

€999.930,00