Brain-wide signals coordinate macaque facial expressions

Researchers implanted micro-electrode arrays in macaques to record neurons as they produced facial gestures. They found all four brain regions studied were active across gestures, with a static code in the cingulate cortex and dynamic, muscle-driving codes in motor and somatosensory areas, implying facial expressions are generated by a coordinated, temporally hierarchical neural network and paving the way for future neural prostheses that decode facial gestures.