Communication by mosaic signals: Individual recognition and underlying neural mechanisms

Abstract

Although the mechanisms of individual recognition have not been thoroughly studied, they are central to understanding how the brain regulates social behavior and emotional reactions to others. Such reactions necessarily involve the integration of a variety of different processes. By studying recognition in a variety of different social contexts, however, it may be possible to untangle some of the complex webs of interacting brain areas. In particular, the study of individual recognition by odors is likely to be a valuable model for the investigation of other behaviors that are guided by similar complex odors.