# Station: Communication (Computational Neuroscience)

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## Conventions

- **Perspective**: Neural circuits & Bayesian brain
- **Topics**: Mirror neurons, social brain network, mentalizing network, oxytocin and social precision, neural synchrony in communication
- **Lab Style**: Simulation Lab
- **Audience**: College 1st semester undergraduates
- **Tone**: Rigorous but accessible

## Content Guidelines

This module maps social cognition and communication onto neural substrates. Content should:

1. **Introduce the social brain network**: The temporoparietal junction (TPJ), medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), superior temporal sulcus (STS), and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) form a network that supports Theory of Mind and social inference.
2. **Define key terms precisely**:
   - **Mirror neuron system**: Neurons that fire both when performing and observing an action, supporting action understanding and imitation
   - **Mentalizing network**: Brain regions (TPJ, mPFC) that support attributing mental states to others
   - **Neural synchrony**: The alignment of brain oscillations between interacting individuals, reflecting coupled inference
   - **Oxytocin**: A neuropeptide that modulates social precision, increasing the weight given to social signals
3. **Present hyperscanning evidence**: Studies where two brains are recorded simultaneously during communication show interbrain synchrony, providing neural evidence for coupled Active Inference.
4. **Connect social neuromodulation to precision**: Oxytocin increases social precision; social anxiety may involve aberrant social precision weighting.

## Active Inference Integration

- Theory of Mind is hierarchical inference about another agent's generative model, implemented in the mentalizing network
- Neural synchrony between communicating brains reflects the alignment of their respective generative models
- Mirror neurons implement a basic form of action prediction -- modeling another agent's motor intentions

## Assessment Alignment

Questions should test the ability to:
- Identify the brain regions involved in Theory of Mind and their Active Inference functions
- Explain neural synchrony between communicating individuals as coupled inference
- Describe how oxytocin modulates social precision and what happens when this modulation fails

Ensure all content adheres to [../../resources/notation_table.md](../../resources/notation_table.md).