Traditional neuroscience has mostly relied on artificial laboratory tasks conducted in highly constrained settings, leading to reductionist interpretations of brain function that may overlook the rich repertoire of behaviors primate brain evolved to support. Recent advances in wireless neural recording, ethological methods, and computer vision tools are making it possible to capture neural dynamics in freely moving, socially interacting primates, thereby shedding new light on the organization of natural actions and social exchanges.

The purpose of this workshop is to explore new perspectives on the brain mechanisms underlying motor, cognitive, and social functions in nonhuman primates, with an emphasis on the interplay between technological innovation and advances in the neuroethological investigation of naturalistic behaviors. Specific sessions will present the latest findings and perspectives on neuroethological studies of primate motor, spatial, emotional, and communicative functions. Furthermore, molecular and circuit-level techniques - such as viral vectors carrying engineered receptor proteins activated by externally administered ligands or by optical methods - will be discussed as unprecedented opportunities to probe causality in the relationship between primate brain circuits and ethologically relevant natural behaviors.

Finally, attention will be given to the latest and forthcoming technological developments in artificial vision and deep learning approaches to video-based behavioral monitoring, as well as to new tools for wirelessly recording physiological signals in the least invasive manner possible. By situating primate cognition within the ecological and social environments in which it evolved, and harnessing cutting-edge electrical, molecular, and artificial intelligence tools, this workshop aims to foster interdisciplinary dialogue and discussion among neuroscientists, ethologists, psychologists, and biomedical engineers. Together, we will define a comparative and translational framework for understanding primate brain function, with implications that extend from evolutionary biology to human mental health.