OPINION ARTICLE published: 22 February 2010 EVOLUTIONARY NEUROSCIENCE doi: 10.3389/neuro.18.005.2010 The foundations of neuroanthropology Alvaro Machado Dias* Neurosciência e Comportamento, Instituto de Psicologia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil *Correspondence: [email protected] Studies of culturally-based phenomena vs. geocentric reasoning styles in tasks Such questions of interest to social within neuroscientifi c frameworks repre- requiring spatial cognition)1. anthropologists represent the real challenge sent one of the most dynamic tendencies The study of the relation between culturally- of neuroanthropology. The reason for this in contemporary cognitive science. They specifi c phenomena and brain activity has diffi culty is the same that warrants neuroan- have provided the foundations of social been named neuroanthropology (a term thropology as a potential breakthrough. neuroscience, which comprise studies on coined by E. D. Lewis, from the University of Unlike evolutionary neuroscience and other brain correlates of social cognition, abili- Melbourne) and proposes to be “the study of multidisciplinary fi elds of research where ties, and disabilities (Cacioppo, 2002), the experiential and neurobiological aspects both parts are committed to the princi- and have contributed to the consolidation of cultural activity” (Dominguez Duque et al., ples and methods of the natural sciences, of evolutionary neuroscience as a multi- 2009, p. 3). Considered within this perspec- neuroanthropology presents a diffi culty in disciplinary epistemological fi eld, which tive, it seems compelling to assume that we are bridging the gap defi ned by the different frequently involves social neuroscientifi c moving into the era of neuroanthropology interests and ‘hard problems’ established topics, considered in terms of their func- (see: Campbell and Garcia, 2009), where the within the bounds of social neuroscience tion and evolutionary basis (for an authori- tradition of studies of culturally-dependent and of social anthropology. The fi eld relies tative introduction and discussion: Platek phenomena meets the tradition of study- on the great importance that social anthro- et al., 2007). ing brain mechanisms to consolidate a new pology historically has attributed to that The new horizons that these studies epistemological fi eld. However, the thesis that which neuroscientists call contingencies, revealed now allow for neuroscientifi c this paper endorses is that the consolidation when defi ning the necessary and suffi cient approaches to topics that once were con- of neuroanthropology as a new and legiti- conditions for certain culturally-specifi c ceived to be beyond the scope of a natu- mate epistemological tradition will require phenomena to emerge. This focus auto- ralistic framework, because they remained signifi cant new efforts. matically raises related issues, and hence subordinated to contingent dimensions of The fi rst thing that is important to bear evokes ‘hard problems’ that can only be the cultural environment (e.g., embodi- in mind is that the authority of new fi elds resolved by very specifi c ‘neuroanthropo- ment; Campbell and Garcia, 2009). of research rely on the premise that they logical’ studies. Such efforts have widened the scope of introduce new lines of research, which can- In order to expose this thesis, I propose social neuroscience and raise very inter- not be perfectly characterized within the to discuss one feature in Campbell’s and esting perspectives for evolutionary neu- epistemological structure of a previously Garcia’s (2009) paper, related to the subjec- roscience, in terms of the adaptations and established fi eld of research (Kuhn, 1977). tive experience of the body (embodiment) brain circuits that appear to lie at the base Many anthropologists conduct research and its association to both cultural determi- of these phenomena, as well as suggest within natural science frameworks, such nants and to neurobiological correlates. As an incursion into a dialogue with studies as social and evolutionary neuroscience, the authors emphasize, this bodily represen- pointing in the opposite direction, which and up to this point there was no clear rea- tation makes reference to a traditional topic question the bases of certain universal cog- son to consider that these works represent of interest in social anthropology (Csordas, nitive and behavioral phenomena that are, new epistemological traditions, since these 1990), which can also be thought of in terms by and large, thought of in terms of their studies are all committed to the questions, of somatic representations in the brain. As functional basis – like Everett et al. (2005) methods, and theories that are dear to the pointed out by the authors, recent studies did in relation to universal grammar, when natural sciences. (e.g., Craig, 2009) suggest that embodiment arguing that the Pirahã language has no Hence, it follows that the emergence of involves insula activity, which in association recursion, no subordination, no numeral, neuroanthropology as a concept announc- with the anterior cingulate activity repre- and “in effect, no phrase structure” (Everett, ing something new implies that these stud- sents one of the most prominent brain cor- 2007, p. 4); and like Henrich et al. (2010) ies introduce methods and questions of relates of long term meditation, yoga, and did in their critical review of research on interest to the social sciences – especially ritual experiences, like the altered percep- “WEIRD” people (“Western, Educated, anthropology, which has been argued “to be tions induced by Ayahuasca. Industrialized, Rich and Democratic”), a philosophical holdout against ‘reduction- In principle, the combination of these which they claim to have biased several ist’ neuroscience” (Campbell and Garcia, ideas is straightforward: it is possible to generalizations about “human nature”, 2009, p. 1). include some discussion on brain corre- from perception (e.g., different stand- lates within the anthropological studies on points in relation to the Mueller-Lyer illu- 1This paper is expected to appear in Brain and Behavior embodiment in the same way that it is possi- sion) to abstract cognition (e.g., egocentric Sciences, during the year of 2010. ble to turn this into a valid discussion within Frontiers in Evolutionary Neuroscience www.frontiersin.org February 2010 | Volume 2 | Article 5 | 1 Dias The foundations of neuroanthropology the scope of social neuroscience. However, of other communities, who partake on brain activity alone (e.g., brain correlates there is a gap between this valid conclusion in similar practices? In other words, of embodiment as a general idea) are not and the concerns that turn embodiment are there any brain signatures that can part of this new fi eld, whose two distinct into one of the ‘hard problems’ of social help to discern embodiment from one players need to partake in a thoughtful anthropology, as posed by Csordas (1990), cultural context to another? methodological dialogue in order to arrive whose interests in the matter investigate (2) Are there any qualitative or quantita- at a common goal. the specifi c experiences of evil and divine tive differences in brain dynamics in within the healing practices of the char- the trance of a spiritual leader and of a REFERENCES Cacioppo, J. (2002). Foundations in Social Neuroscience. ismatic Christians in North America, and follower? 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