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The neural basis of laughter.
Fausto Caruana1, Sophie K Scott2
1Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Parma, Italy.
Trends in Neurosciences
|June 23, 2026
Summary
Laughter
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neuroethology
- Clinical Neurology
Background:
- Laughter is a universal social signal.
- Its neural basis is poorly understood, especially spontaneous laughter.
- Neurological disorders can manifest with altered laughter.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review invasive neuroscientific investigations of laughter.
- To propose a dual-system framework for laughter's neural orchestration.
- To understand laughter's role in social bonding and clinical disruptions.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent invasive investigations.
- Direct electrical stimulation.
- Intracranial recordings.
Main Results:
- Identified a dual-system framework for laughter.
- Proposed an ancient cingulo-temporal network for involuntary laughter.
- Described a lateral motor-opercular system for volitional laughter.
Conclusions:
- Parallel cortico-subcortical pathways drive laughter.
- Laughter serves as a primal affective signal and communicative tool.
- Provides a roadmap for understanding social bonding and its clinical disruptions.
Keywords:
anterior cingulate cortexbasal gangliadirect electrical stimulationgelastic seizurespain modulationsocial behaviorMore Related Videos
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