The next revolution in neuroscience is happening outside the lab

By tracking brain activity as primates move freely in the wild, neuroethology could reshape what we think we know about our own minds.

Excerpt: "If asked to describe what sets a cognitively complex species like humans apart from others, many would list specific behaviors, such as telling stories, creating art, planning for the future, or navigating complex social structures.

Given that, you might expect that neuroscientists attempting to understand the advanced brain would study it in action, as a person or animal moves through the world.

For much of its history, though, neuroscience has done the opposite.

“When I was a graduate student, neuroscience was almost entirely about isolating specific circuits to test how the brain controls your senses and movement,” says Dr. Earl K. Miller, the Picower Professor of Neuroscience at MIT. “You’d show an animal a stimulus, observe how it responded, and record which neurons fired.” This research defined foundational principles of the field, but according to Miller, when you study the brain at this level, “you’re really only looking at its edges.”“

We know surprisingly little about how the brain manages more complex cognitive behaviors, like making a decision or socializing,” says Felipe Parodi, a PhD candidate in neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania, co-advised by professors Michael Platt and Konrad Kording.

“Studying primates and humans in the confines of the laboratory, where they can’t interact freely, won’t tell you what the brain is doing when a primate forms a bond, infers an intention, cooperates, or manages conflict.”

Classical neuroscience doesn’t fully capture how the brain operates in more natural, real-world contexts."