Scientists at WashU Medicine Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology have discovered particular neuronal cells crucial for our comprehension of others. Runnan Cao, PhD, an educator in radiology and former postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Shuo Wang, PhD, an associate professor within the radiology department, recognized over 700 such neurons in the human brain. These cells play a role in “social inference,” our capability to interpret signals from others’ body language and facial expressions to deduce their feelings or thoughts. Their results were disclosed in Science Advances.

Wang, Cao, and their associates Ueli Rutishauser, PhD, and Adam Mamelak, MD, from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, along with Ralph Adolphs, PhD, from California Institute of Technology, recorded cerebral activity in patients undergoing neurosurgery while presenting them with images of individuals displaying various facial expressions or hands performing different gestures. The aim was to pinpoint brain areas that assist in converting others’ facial expressions or hand movements into perceptions regarding their emotions, thoughts, and intentions.

The researchers discovered that the cerebral medial temporal lobe and medial frontal cortex are engaged in processing social inference, albeit in distinct manners: the frontal cortex evaluates the data broadly across social signals, while the temporal lobe recognizes unique patterns linked to deciphering the “how” and “why” of others’ responses. Pinpointing the specific neurons associated with social inference may illuminate the neural disruptions present in autism, schizophrenia, and Parkinson’s disease.

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