# An integrated single-neuronal, population-, local network- and stimulation-based prefrontal investigation of human social cognition

> **NIH NIH U01** · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · 2021 · $886,347

## Abstract

An integrated single-neuronal, population-, local network- and stimulation-based
prefrontal investigation of human social cognition
This proposal aims to undertake a comprehensive single-cellular, population-, local circuit- and stimulation-
based evaluation of the role that the dorsal prefrontal cortex plays in human social cognition. Despite ongoing
progress in our understanding of basic elements of social behavior through animal models, astonishingly little
is known about the single-neuronal and causal mechanisms that underlie human social cognition. A core
network of areas comprising the dorsomedial prefrontal, dorsolateral prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortex of
the frontal lobe has been suggested to play a critical role in human social behavior; sub-serving processes that
include emotional judgment, social reasoning and theory of mind. Unlike more basic sensorimotor processes,
these social processes require individuals not only to represent the observed behavior or actions of others but
to also infer their hidden internal states and beliefs which are inherently unobservable and unknown. These
higher-order social processes play a central role in human ontogeny and are broadly affected in psychosocial
conditions such as schizophrenia, depression and autism spectrum disorder. Yet, despite their importance,
extraordinarily little is known about how the activities of neurons in the human brain give rise to these diverse
social cognitive functions or what precise role specific prefrontal areas play. Building on our groups unique
combined experience in acute single-neuronal recordings from the these dorsal prefrontal areas, social
neuroscience and theory, population analyses, computational modeling and real-time stimulation techniques
and by using a novel structured multi-set social task, this proposal aims to address, for the first time, vital
questions about how social information is processed in humans at the cellular level, what specific cognitive
processes are engaged across cortical areas, whether these processes are dissociable from more generalized
cognitive mechanisms, how these key computations interrelate and, crucially, what causal contribution do
neural activities in these prefrontal areas play in human social cognition at the behavioral level. Together, this
systematic cross-modal, inter-disciplinary, multi-institutional collaborative effort promises to provide
unprecedented new insights into human social cognition at the cellular level and offer an innovative new
framework by which to investigate the prospective contribution of the dorsal prefrontal cortex to psychosocial
conditions such as autism spectrum disorder.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10200517
- **Project number:** 1U01NS121616-01
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Ziv Williams
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $886,347
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-05-01 → 2026-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10200517

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10200517, An integrated single-neuronal, population-, local network- and stimulation-based prefrontal investigation of human social cognition (1U01NS121616-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10200517. Licensed CC0.

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