ATTENTION, LA DATE A CHANGÉ 
Neuroscience Seminar Series:
Thursday, December 14th, 2017 , 11:30 am, Salle des conférences (3rd Floor), Centre Universitaire des Saints-Pères, 45 rue des Saints-Pères, 75006 Paris
Angela Sirigu PhD
Institute of Cognitive Science Marc Jeannerod , Lyon , France
title: The neural basis of social behaviour in humans and non-human primates
Social skills require specific cognitive and emotional competences. Individuals with High Functioning Autism (HFA) cannot engage in social interactions despite preserved cognitive abilities. Recently, it has been suggested that oxytocin, a hormone known to promote affiliation and mother-infant bonds, may be implicated in the social deficit of HFA. We investigated the effects of intranasal oxytocin administration on the social behaviour of HFA patients and we found that after oxytocin inhalation, patients exhibited stronger social interactions and reported enhanced feelings of trust and preference. In order to understand the molecular events triggered by oxytocin in the brain we performed several experiments in humans and non-human primates by looking at the effects of oxytocin on 5-HT1A pathway. The results show that oxytocin increases serotonin neurotransmission.
Those interested in meeting with the speaker please contact
claude.meunier@parisdescartes.fr