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Review
. 2025 Sep 26:S1364-6613(25)00241-4.
doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2025.09.002. Online ahead of print.

Primate neuroethology: a new synthesis

Felipe Parodi  1 , Konrad P Kording  2 , Michael L Platt  3
Affiliations
Review

Primate neuroethology: a new synthesis

Felipe Parodi et al. Trends Cogn Sci. .

Abstract

Neuroscience has probed only a sliver of the rich cognitive, emotional, and social behaviors that enable primates to thrive in the real world. Technological breakthroughs allow us to quantify these behaviors alongside wireless neural recordings. New studies reveal that neural activity is intricately bound to movement and is profoundly modulated by behavioral context, emotional states, and social dynamics. We frame our review of primate neuroethology around Niko Tinbergen's four foundational questions - function, mechanism, development, and evolution - to unify classic ethological insights with modern neuroscience tools. We demonstrate that investigating natural behavior promises deep insights into primate cognition, which are relevant for advanced brain-machine interfaces, improved therapies for neurological disorders, and deeper understanding of natural and artificial intelligence.

Keywords: ecological validity; natural behavior; neuroethology; primate cognition.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of interests M.L.P. is a scientific advisory board member, consultant, and/or co-founder of Blue Horizons International, NeuroFlow, Cogwear Technologies, Glassview, Lazul LLC, Almond Digital Health, elanah.ai, Mandala LLC, FeLiCiTi LLC, and NinetyPlay, and receives research funding from AIIR Consulting, Slalom Inc, Fox Media, Korn Ferry, Deloitte, and Glassview. All other authors declare no competing interests.

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