An evolutionary conserved neural mechanism for interpersonal coordination in primates.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Evolutionary Biology
• Primatology

Background:

• Interpersonal coordination is crucial for social evolution and cooperation.
• Understanding the neural basis of coordination across species can illuminate shared evolutionary pathways.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the behavioral adaptations and neural underpinnings of interpersonal motor coordination in humans and macaques.
• To determine the extent to which brain mechanisms for coordination are conserved across primate species.

Main Methods:

• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in humans.
• Intracranial local field potential (LFP) recordings in macaques.
• A common interpersonal coordination paradigm was employed for cross-species comparison.

Main Results:

• Both species exhibit proactive adaptation in motor planning and execution for coordination, despite behavioral differences.
• Modulation of premotor brain activity was observed during interpersonal coordination in both humans and macaques.
• Dynamic sequential coding of action context and coordination features was identified in neural activity.

Conclusions:

• The findings reveal an evolutionarily conserved cortical architecture supporting cooperative motor behavior in primates.
• Shared neural mechanisms underpin interpersonal coordination, highlighting deep evolutionary roots of social interaction.