Dr. Gothard is a Professor in the departments of Physiology and Neuroscience. The broad goal of our research is to understand the neural basis of emotion and social behavior. We work with rhesus monkeys because they share with humans social behaviors and the hierarchical organization of the societies. We place emphasis on exploring brain activity during natural or seminatural behaviors. For example, we monitor neural activity in the amygdala and in the somatosensory cortex while the monkeys receive social grooming and non-social tactile stimuli. Joint monitoring neural activity and autonomic reveal the real-time dynamic interactions between brain areas involved in social perception, decision-making, and the control of overt social behaviors.

The Gothard Lab