Systems neuroscience owes much of its success to an empirical tradition of using simplified laboratory settings that carefully control sensory stimuli, motor responses, or other task-relevant variables in order to identify the neural mechanisms underlying different behavioral functions. However, while this approach facilitates interpretation of neural signals, it potentially limits our theories to explain only those highly simplified scenarios without addressing the true richness of natural behavior. It particular, it cannot address how different systems (perceptual, motor, cognitive, emotional, etc.) are seamlessly integrated during real-time interaction with the environment. Consequently, we do not know which conclusions from laboratory studies translate to the complexity of real behavior, or toward improved understanding of how specific deficits impact overall quality of life.
For this reason, many in the field are now seeking to move beyond simplified laboratory settings toward more naturalistic scenarios in contexts such as navigation, foraging and even fully unconstrained behavior in open environments. This is made possible by technological advances such as wireless recording in freely moving animals, AI-based automated quantification of behavior, and new methods for analyzing large data sets. The present proposal requests funding that will allow us to make use of these advances to establish a cutting-edge, shared experimental platform that will enable a wide range of neurophysiological experiments with freely moving non-human primates. Primates are particularly important for understanding mechanisms relevant for human behavior and mental health, because of the many similarities in their neural organization and their impressive cognitive abilities. Our platform will make it possible to study these animals in situations that do justice to the complexity of their behavior and yield insights into the human brain that will translate to clinical applications with impacts in the real-world.
