Positron emission tomography imaging of the social brain of common marmosets

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a molecular imaging modality that can visualize functional neurochemical processes throughout the brain in the living condition, and is useful in bridging the gap between experimental animals and humans. We applied PET to common marmosets to study the brain mechanisms underlying social behaviors. Common marmosets are known for their high level of sociality within a cooperative breeding system, which is rare among non-human primates, and they could represent valuable animals for studying human-like social behaviors. PET successfully revealed a brain-molecular relationship underlying social traits and a functional brain network associated with social situations in common marmosets. Marmoset PET appears likely to prove useful in understanding the neurobiological mechanisms underpinning social behaviors in both physiological and pathological conditions, and has potential for simulating psychiatric disorders.