The amygdala, origin of fear what generosity? – Terra Peru

The amygdala, located deep in the temporal lobes, has always been associated with negative basic emotions, especially fear, but could also be related to positive behaviors such as kindness or generosity.

This is the main conclusion of an investigation led by the professor of neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania Michael Platt, with Steve Chang (Yale University) and researchers from Duke University, published today in the journal PNAS.

According to this study, neuronal nuclei that form the amygdala can also influence positive feelings as donations or generosity, a finding that could “have implications for people with autism, schizophrenia or anxiety-related disorders, “said Platt.

“We are trying to identify and understand the basic brain mechanism that allows us to be kind to others and respond to the experiences of others,” he said.

“We are also trying to use that knowledge to evaluate potential therapies that could improve the function of these neural circuits, especially for those who have difficulty connecting with others,” the scientist .

For this study, Platt and his team analyzed the social behavior of a group of Rhesus macaques, a species of primates that have been studying 22 years in the laboratory and in the wild (on the island of Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico).

For their similarities to humans and because they live in large groups with social ties, behaviors these macaques are a good model to study social skills.

The researchers incorporated into their work a task new way of watching these animals taking beneficial decisions, which Platt described as “reward-giving.”

“We have a monkey actor and a receiver monkey. The monkey player learns the ways of different colors on the screen are associated with rewarding it can be to yourself, to the other monkey, to share between both or neither. The monkeys trained this situation a couple of weeks. ”

Once you understand the game macaques, researchers presented several alternatives to the monkey player with corresponding potential rewards; primates could stay the award (in this case a glass of juice), share it, give it away or waste it.

“Usually, our monkey reward an actor you prefer another monkey before not to use the reward”; In addition, the social relationship between it also features “are more likely to give to their acquaintances and subordinates,” said Platt.

While watching the behavior of monkeys, Platt and his colleagues recorded neural activity in the amygdala of each animal and saw the value of the reward was reflected in this region just as in the monkey and the prize awards.

Based on these neural responses, scientists were able to predict when the actors were going to give rewards to their peers.

The next step of the research was to look at how this behavior varied with the introduction of the hormone oxytocin, which is involved in social bonds between individuals.

In animals has been shown to create strong bonds between mother and offspring, while among humans the role of this hormone is not yet fully defined, although it is known that in some cases it could help people with autism to better understand the social codes.

In the experiment saw monkeys who took oxytocin became more willing to give rewards to other monkeys already pay more attention.