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Updated: May 13, 2026

Assessment of Social Cognition in Non-human Primates Using a Network of Computerized Automated Learning Device (ALDM) Test Systems
Published on: May 5, 2015
Brain response to affective pictures in the chimpanzee
Satoshi Hirata1, Goh Matsuda, Ari Ueno
1Great Ape Research Institute, Hayashibara Co. Ltd, Tamano, Okayama, Japan. hirata.satoshi.8z@kyoto-u.ac.jp
Abstract:
Advancement of non-invasive brain imaging techniques has allowed us to examine details of neural activities involved in affective processing in humans; however, no comparative data are available for chimpanzees, the closest living relatives of humans. In the present study, we measured event-related brain potentials in a fully awake adult chimpanzee as she looked at affective and neutral pictures. The results revealed a differential brain potential appearing 210 ms after presentation of an affective picture, a pattern similar to that in humans. This suggests that at least a part of the affective process is similar between humans and chimpanzees. The results have implications for the evolutionary foundations of emotional phenomena, such as emotional contagion and empathy.
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