How the brain sees and understands people in real-life social situations
Active Social Vision: How the Brain Processes Visual Information During Natural Social Perception
Doctors will record brain signals from people with implanted electrodes while they naturally look at and interact with others to learn how the brain gathers social and emotional information.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11258929 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you take part, clinicians will use electrodes already implanted for clinical epilepsy monitoring to record brain activity while you move your eyes and head and interact in natural social settings. Cameras and sensors will track where you look and how you behave, and researchers will use computer vision and machine learning to link those behaviors to brain signals. The approach aims to study social perception during realistic interactions rather than from static pictures or forced fixation. Because recordings occur during standard clinical monitoring, participation fits into the usual hospital stay for surgical evaluation.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people undergoing intracranial electrode monitoring for epilepsy (already scheduled for implanted electrodes) who can engage in brief natural interactions and follow task instructions.
Not a fit: People who are not having clinical electrode monitoring or who need immediate changes in clinical care are unlikely to gain direct benefit from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: This work could reveal how brain activity supports reading social and emotional cues, which might guide future tests or treatments for social difficulties in autism, anxiety, or mood disorders.
How similar studies have performed: Direct brain recordings have provided important insights into language and memory, but applying these methods to natural social vision is relatively new and exploratory.
Where this research is happening
Pittsburgh, United States
- University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ghuman, Avniel S — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Ghuman, Avniel S
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.