Neural mechanisms for representing and updating the meaning of social and non-social sensory

Daniel Salzman, MD, PhD at Columbia University Medical Center studies the neural mechanisms that give particular sensory stimuli emotional value, leading to emotional behavior. Using the primate visual system as an experimental platform, his basic approach is to conduct neurophysiological experiments in rhesus monkeys performing a variety of tasks involving emotional learning. He generally uses conditioning techniques to give otherwise neutral stimuli emotional significance.