How the brain guides complex social interactions
Mechanisms Regulating Complex Social Behavior
['FUNDING_R01'] · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · NIH-11166452
This project looks at how brain activity and social relationships shape the choices people make in social situations using brain scans and recordings.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_R01'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (PHILADELPHIA, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11166452 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
This research looks at how friendships, social context, and the complexity of social settings change the way people make decisions. Participants and animals will do similar social decision tasks while researchers record brain activity using EEG, neuroimaging, and primate electrophysiology. The team may also use targeted brain manipulations to see which circuits control social choices and will use computer models to explain behavior. You may be asked to complete behavioral tasks, undergo brain scans or recordings, and possibly return for follow-up visits at the research site.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are adults who can undergo brain scans or recordings and who are comfortable completing social decision tasks, including people with social-cognition, anxiety, depression, or treatment-adherence challenges.
Not a fit: People who cannot have MRIs or invasive recordings, children, or those whose health issues are unrelated to social behavior are unlikely to benefit directly from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could point to new ways to support social functioning and treatment adherence by targeting brain circuits that shape social decision-making.
How similar studies have performed: Previous animal and human imaging studies have produced promising leads on social decision circuits, but this cross-species, multi-method integration with direct brain manipulations is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
PHILADELPHIA, UNITED STATES
- UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA — PHILADELPHIA, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: PLATT, MICHAEL L — UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- Study coordinator: PLATT, MICHAEL L
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Virus, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Virus