We aim to uncover the fundamental neural mechanisms underlying social behavior in both biological (mice) and artificial intelligence systems, with a specific focus on empathy and prosociality. While it is evolutionarily advantageous for individuals to act in ways that promote their own survival and reproductive success, humans and other animals frequently display empathy and compassion through behaviors that benefit others. Our research explores various forms of empathic and prosocial behaviors and investigates the neural mechanisms underlying these behaviors. Specifically, the lab was among the first to demonstrate that mice can exhibit several forms of empathy-related comforting and helping behaviors. By integrating these paradigms with genetic, circuit-based, and computational methodologies, we reveal distinct neural pathways within the amygdala and prefrontal cortex that specifically encode and regulate these prosocial behaviors. Additionally, our research extends beyond mechanisms within a single brain, aiming to understand how inter-brain neural dynamics emerge through social interactions between individuals.
Main research areas:
- The neuroscience of empathy, compassion, and prosocial behavior
- A multi-brain framework for social interaction
- Neural mechanism of social information processing and social decision-making
To learn more about our work, please visit here.
We are actively seeking highly motivated postdocs and graduate students to join our team (see more details).