All Episodes

April 22, 2025 69 mins

A fascinating feature of interactions between two people is that neural network activity patterns in their brain can become synchronized. In this episode Francesco Papaleo talks about research studies in which activities of neuronal networks are recorded simultaneously in interacting humans or mice.  His work has recently focused on the role of interbrain synchronization in the prefrontal cortex in emotion recognition and empathy. He summarizes this research and its implications as follows:  

Interacting brains operate as an integrated system, with neural dynamics coevolving over time. Neuronal synchronization across brains has been observed in a range of species, including humans, monkeys, bats, and mice. This inter-neural synchrony (INS) has been proposed as a potential mechanism facilitating social interaction by enabling the functional integration of multiple brains.. Individual responses, such as emotion processing or decision-making, are adjusted and updated based on information that is continuously exchanged among the interacting partners

LINKS

Dr. Papaleo’s webpage at the Italian Institute of Technology

https://www.iit.it/people-details/-/people/francesco-papaleo

Review article on multi-brain dynamics

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763424004342?via%3Dihub

Self-experience of another’s stress

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-024-01816-y

Cortical – cortical transfer during social interactions

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-024-01647-x

Prosocial vs selfish behaviors

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-022-01179-2

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Crime Junkie

Crime Junkie

Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.

24/7 News: The Latest

24/7 News: The Latest

The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.

Stuff You Should Know

Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.