Neurobiology of Social Behavior

Social neuroscience is a rapidly growing, interdisciplinary field which is devoted to understanding how social behavior is regulated by the brain, and how such behaviors in turn influence brain and biology. Existing volumes either fail to take a neurobiological approach or focus on one particular type of behavior, so the field is ripe for a comprehensive reference which draws cross-behavioral conclusions. This authored work will serve as the market's most comprehensive reference on the neurobiology of social behavior. The volume will offer an introduction to neural systems and genetics/epigenetics, followed by detailed study of a wide range of behaviors - aggression, sex and sexual differentiation, mating, parenting, social attachments, monogamy, empathy, cooperation, and altruism. Research findings on the neural basis of social behavior will be integrated across different levels of analysis, from molecular neurobiology to neural systems/behavioral neuroscience to fMRI imaging data on human social behavior. Chapters will cover research on both normal and abnormal behaviors, as well as developmental aspects.
- 2016 PROSE Category winner - Honorable Mention for Biomedicine and Neuroscience
- Presents neurobiological analysis of the full spectrum of social behaviors, while other volumes focus on one particular behavior
- Integrates and discusses research from different levels of analysis, including molecular/genetic, neural circuits and systems, and fMRI imaging research
- Covers both normal and abnormal behaviors
- Covers aggression, sex and sexual differentiation, mating, parenting, social attachments, empathy, cooperation, and altruism

Michael Numan received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the Association for Psychological Science (APS). Most of his research, which focuses on the neural mechanisms regulating maternal behavior, was conducted while he was a Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience at Boston College. He is the author of a previous book, with Thomas Insel, The Neurobiology of Parental Behavior. He lives with his wife, Marilyn, in the Santa Fe-Albuquerque region of New Mexico.

1. An Introduction to Neural Systems2. Basic Genetics and Epigenetics3. Aggressive Behavior4. Sexual Behaviors and Sexual Differentiation5. Parental Behavior6. Monogamy and the Formation of Enduring Social Attachments between Mating Partners7. Human Sociality