1
|
Speechley EM, Ashton BJ, Foo YZ, Simmons LW, Ridley AR. Meta-analyses reveal support for the Social Intelligence Hypothesis. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024. [PMID: 38855980 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
The Social Intelligence Hypothesis (SIH) is one of the leading explanations for the evolution of cognition. Since its inception a vast body of literature investigating the predictions of the SIH has accumulated, using a variety of methodologies and species. However, the generalisability of the hypothesis remains unclear. To gain an understanding of the robustness of the SIH as an explanation for the evolution of cognition, we systematically searched the literature for studies investigating the predictions of the SIH. Accordingly, we compiled 103 studies with 584 effect sizes from 17 taxonomic orders. We present the results of four meta-analyses which reveal support for the SIH across interspecific, intraspecific and developmental studies. However, effect sizes did not differ significantly between the cognitive or sociality metrics used, taxonomy or testing conditions. Thus, support for the SIH is similar across studies using neuroanatomy and cognitive performance, those using broad categories of sociality, group size and social interactions, across taxonomic groups, and for tests conducted in captivity or the wild. Overall, our meta-analyses support the SIH as an evolutionary and developmental explanation for cognitive variation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth M Speechley
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Benjamin J Ashton
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, 205b Culloden Road, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Yong Zhi Foo
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Leigh W Simmons
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Amanda R Ridley
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Burghardt GM, Pellis SM, Schank JC, Smaldino PE, Vanderschuren LJMJ, Palagi E. Animal play and evolution: Seven timely research issues about enigmatic phenomena. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 160:105617. [PMID: 38458553 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/02/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024]
Abstract
The nature of play in animals has been long debated, but progress is being made in characterizing play and its variants, documenting its distribution across vertebrate and invertebrate taxa, describing its mechanisms and development, and proposing testable theories about its origins, evolution, and adaptive functions. To achieve a deeper understanding of the functions and evolution of play, integrative and conceptual advances are needed in neuroscience, computer modeling, phylogenetics, experimental techniques, behavior development, and inter- and intra-specific variation. The special issue contains papers documenting many of these advances. Here, we describe seven timely areas where further research is needed to understand this still enigmatic class of phenomena more fully. Growing empirical and theoretical evidence reveals that play has been crucial in the evolution of behavior and psychology but has been underestimated, if not ignored, in both empirical and theoretical areas of evolutionary biology and neuroscience. Play research has important ramifications for understanding the evolution of cognition, emotion, and culture, and research on animals can be both informative and transformative.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gordon M Burghardt
- Departments of Psychology and Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA.
| | - Sergio M Pellis
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jeffrey C Schank
- Department of Psychology and Animal Behavior Graduate Group, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Paul E Smaldino
- Department of Cognitive and Information Sciences, University of California, Merced, CA, USA, and Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, USA
| | - Louk J M J Vanderschuren
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Elisabetta Palagi
- Unit of Ethology, Department of Biology, University of Pisa and Natural History Museum, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Palagi E. Adult play and the evolution of tolerant and cooperative societies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 148:105124. [PMID: 36931414 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2022] [Revised: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023]
Abstract
Play is generally considered an immature affair. However, adult play is present in several mammal species living in complex social systems. Here, I hypothesize that adult social play is favored by natural selection in those species characterized by high level of social tolerance and/or by the need of others' cooperation to reach a goal (i.e., leverage). The integration and comparison of bio-behavioral data on non-human primates and wild social carnivores allows drawing a comprehensive picture on the importance of adult play in facing unpredictable, novel social situations and in overcoming stressful experiences. The ability to cope with potentially competitive interactions through play can favor the emergence of egalitarian societies. A further interesting and beneficial aspect of adult play is its role in synchronizing group activities and favoring collective decision making by renovating the motivation to cooperate in groupmates. As a last step, some considerations about the presence of adult play in the most egalitarian and cooperative human groups (e.g., hunter-gatherer societies) allows discussing the apparent dichotomy between cultural and biological evolution of certain behavioral traits, including social play in adulthood.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elisabetta Palagi
- Department of Biology - Unit of Ethology - University of Pisa, Via Alessandro Volta 6, 56126 Pisa, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Kellman J, Radwan K. Towards an expanded neuroscientific understanding of social play. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 132:884-891. [PMID: 34767879 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Revised: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Play has been recognized as a complex and diverse set of behaviors that has been difficult to define. Play can range from rough and tumble play among rats to a human child playing a computer game. Play has been understood to exist in multiple forms such as social, object, and locomotor (Burghardt, 2005). In this article we review the literatures on the neural basis of social play, on heart rate variability, on behavioral switching and set-shifting, on prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle reflex, and on learning at the level of the basal ganglia. Each of these neuronal pathways, aside from heart rate variability, is rooted in the parafascicular nucleus of the thalamus, an important neural substrate for social play. We argue that social play optimally balances a number of opposing neural pathways by engaging systems involved in safety versus danger (heart rate variability), automatized reactions versus learned reactions to new stimuli (behavioral switching and set-shifting), and gating relevant versus less relevant stimuli (prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle reflex). The idea that play, in addition to its role in interpersonal adaptation to social life, may have a central role in optimizing flexibility and creativity in individual response to novelty has been explored by previous authors (Huizinga, 1955; Spinka et al., 2001; Pellegrini et al., 2007; Pellis and Pellis, 2017). In this paper we explore the possible underlying neural basis for this function of play, having to do with balancing various neural networks, and in doing so propose an expanded understanding of the nature and function of social play.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Kellman
- The University of Chicago, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, 5841 S. Maryland Ave., MC 3077, Chicago, IL, 60637, United States
| | - Karam Radwan
- The University of Chicago, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, 5841 S. Maryland Ave., MC 3077, Chicago, IL, 60637, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Bonding system in nonhuman primates and biological roots of musicality. Behav Brain Sci 2021; 44:e77. [PMID: 34588068 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x2000148x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Comparative studies of primates indicate that humans have evolved unique motivations and cognitive skills for sharing emotions, experiences, and collaborative actions. Given the characteristics of music, the music and social bonding (MSB) hypothesis by Savage et al. fits this view. Within a cross-species approach, predispositions not observed in current communication system may contribute to a better understanding of the biological roots of human musicality.
Collapse
|
6
|
Arre AM, Horschler DJ. Swimming and diving as social play in juvenile rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). BEHAVIOUR 2021. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-bja10074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Although play is ubiquitous throughout the animal kingdom, and in primates especially, the ultimate explanations and proximate mechanisms of play are not well understood. Previous research proposes that primate play may be important for the development of cognitive skills including executive function, emotional regulation, and impulse control, and could help to build social skills and network connections needed in later life. However, many of these hypotheses have not been thoroughly tested. Here, we report observations of novel play behaviour that could provide unique opportunities to explore these hypotheses: young rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) engaging in aquatic social play in a naturalistic setting. Based on our observations, we propose that aquatic play has social elements that make it ideal for testing ultimate explanations of primate play and hypotheses about the cognitive mechanisms that support it.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa M. Arre
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Daniel J. Horschler
- School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
- Cognitive Science Program, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Siviy SM. Basal ganglia involvement in the playfulness of juvenile rats. J Neurosci Res 2019; 97:1521-1527. [PMID: 31165503 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2019] [Revised: 05/14/2019] [Accepted: 05/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Play is an important part of normal childhood development and can be readily studied in the laboratory rat in the form of rough-and-tumble play. Given the robust nature of rough-and-tumble play, it has often been assumed that the basal ganglia would have a prominent role in modulating this behavior. Recent work using c-fos expression as a metabolic marker for neural activity combined with temporary inactivation of relevant corticostriatal regions and pharmacological manipulations of opioid, cannabinoid, and dopamine systems has led to a better understanding of how basal ganglia circuitry may be involved in modulating social play in the juvenile rat. Studies using selective play deprivation have also provided insight into the consequences of playful experiences on basal ganglia function. Data reviewed in this paper support a role for the basal ganglia in social play and also suggest that corticostriatal functioning also benefits from playful activities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stephen M Siviy
- Department of Psychology, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Is play a behavior system, and, if so, what kind? Behav Processes 2019; 160:1-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2018.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2018] [Revised: 12/10/2018] [Accepted: 12/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
|
9
|
Blecharz-Klin K, Wawer A, Jawna-Zboińska K, Pyrzanowska J, Piechal A, Mirowska-Guzel D, Widy-Tyszkiewicz E. Early paracetamol exposure decreases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in striatum and affects social behaviour and exploration in rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2018; 168:25-32. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2018.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2017] [Revised: 02/07/2018] [Accepted: 03/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
|
10
|
Kerney M, Smaers JB, Schoenemann PT, Dunn JC. The coevolution of play and the cortico-cerebellar system in primates. Primates 2017; 58:485-491. [PMID: 28620843 PMCID: PMC5622916 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-017-0615-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2017] [Accepted: 05/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Primates are some of the most playful animals in the natural world, yet the reason for this remains unclear. One hypothesis posits that primates are so playful because playful activity functions to help develop the sophisticated cognitive and behavioural abilities that they are also renowned for. If this hypothesis were true, then play might be expected to have coevolved with the neural substrates underlying these abilities in primates. Here, we tested this prediction by conducting phylogenetic comparative analyses to determine whether play has coevolved with the cortico-cerebellar system, a neural system known to be involved in complex cognition and the production of complex behaviour. We used phylogenetic generalised least squares analyses to compare the relative volume of the largest constituent parts of the primate cortico-cerebellar system (prefrontal cortex, non-prefrontal heteromodal cortical association areas, and posterior cerebellar hemispheres) to the mean percentage of time budget spent in play by a sample of primate species. Using a second categorical data set on play, we also used phylogenetic analysis of covariance to test for significant differences in the volume of the components of the cortico-cerebellar system among primate species exhibiting one of three different levels of adult-adult social play. Our results suggest that, in general, a positive association exists between the amount of play exhibited and the relative size of the main components of the cortico-cerebellar system in our sample of primate species. Although the explanatory power of this study is limited by the correlational nature of its analyses and by the quantity and quality of the data currently available, this finding nevertheless lends support to the hypothesis that play functions to aid the development of cognitive and behavioural abilities in primates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Max Kerney
- Division of Biological Anthropology, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QG, UK.
| | - Jeroen B Smaers
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - P Thomas Schoenemann
- Department of Anthropology and Cognitive Science Program, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
- Stone Age Institute, Gosport, IN, USA
| | - Jacob C Dunn
- Division of Biological Anthropology, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QG, UK
- Animal and Environment Research Group, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Burke AR, McCormick CM, Pellis SM, Lukkes JL. Impact of adolescent social experiences on behavior and neural circuits implicated in mental illnesses. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 76:280-300. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.01.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2016] [Revised: 11/11/2016] [Accepted: 01/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
|
12
|
Kisko TM, Wöhr M, Pellis VC, Pellis SM. From Play to Aggression: High-Frequency 50-kHz Ultrasonic Vocalizations as Play and Appeasement Signals in Rats. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2017; 30:91-108. [PMID: 26728173 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2015_432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
When rats engage in playful interactions, they emit appetitive 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs). We investigated the role of 50-kHz USVs in the playful behavior of both juvenile and adult rats. A cohort of juvenile rats was surgically devocalized and allowed to interact with either devocalized or intact partners as juveniles and again as adults. A substantial decrease in playful motivation was seen for pairs of devocalized rats, as well as all intact rats housed with devocalized ones. In pairs in which at least one partner could vocalize, there was no difference in the number of playful interactions as compared to controls. Further investigation revealed that, within the playful episode itself, 50-kHz USVs are more likely to appear before a playful attack is launched than after, regardless of the attacking partner's ability to vocalize, and when one partner is pinned on its back by another, it is the rat that is on top that is more likely to emit 50-kHz USVs. These findings suggest that, for juveniles, 50-kHz USVs may have a critical function in maintaining and facilitating playful motivation, but a more limited role in signaling playful actions. In adults, however, whatever the motivational role of such calling may be, the various kinds of USVs appear to serve critical communicatory functions. For instance, when pairs of adult males that are unfamiliar with one another encounter each other in a neutral arena, they play together, but if one partner is devocalized, there is a significantly higher likelihood that the interaction will escalate to become aggressive. While the relative roles of appetitive 50-kHz and aversive 22-kHz USVs in this context remain to be determined, our overall findings for play in both juveniles and adults suggest that 50-kHz USVs likely have multiple functions, with different functions being more prevalent at some ages and contexts than others.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Theresa M Kisko
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Philipps-University of Marburg, Gutenbergstr. 18, D-35032, Marburg, Germany.
| | - Markus Wöhr
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Philipps-University of Marburg, Gutenbergstr. 18, D-35032, Marburg, Germany
| | - Vivien C Pellis
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Sergio M Pellis
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Vanderschuren LJMJ, Achterberg EJM, Trezza V. The neurobiology of social play and its rewarding value in rats. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 70:86-105. [PMID: 27587003 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.07.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 196] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2016] [Revised: 07/18/2016] [Accepted: 07/21/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
In the young of many mammalian species, including humans, a vigorous and highly rewarding social activity is abundantly expressed, known as social play behaviour. Social play is thought to be important for the development of social, cognitive and emotional processes and their neural underpinnings, and it is disrupted in pediatric psychiatric disorders. Here, we summarize recent progress in our understanding of the brain mechanisms of social play behaviour, with a focus on its rewarding properties. Opioid, endocannabinoid, dopamine and noradrenaline systems play a prominent role in the modulation of social play. Of these, dopamine is particularly important for the motivational properties of social play. The nucleus accumbens has been identified as a key site for opioid and dopamine modulation of social play. Endocannabinoid influences on social play rely on the basolateral amygdala, whereas noradrenaline modulates social play through the basolateral amygdala, habenula and prefrontal cortex. In sum, social play behaviour is the result of coordinated activity in a network of corticolimbic structures, and its monoamine, opioid and endocannabinoid innervation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Louk J M J Vanderschuren
- Department of Animals in Science and Society, Division of Behavioural Neuroscience, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - E J Marijke Achterberg
- Department of Animals in Science and Society, Division of Behavioural Neuroscience, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Viviana Trezza
- Department of Science, Section of Biomedical Sciences and Technologies, University "Roma Tre", Rome, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Abstract
Play is an important part of normal childhood development and is seen in varied forms among many mammals. While not indispensable to normal development, playful social experiences as juveniles may provide an opportunity to develop flexible behavioral strategies when novel and uncertain situations arise as an adult. To understand the neurobiological mechanisms responsible for play and how the functions of play may relate to these neural substrates, the rat has become the model of choice. Play in the rat is easily quantified, tightly regulated, and can be modulated by genetic factors and postnatal experiences. Brain areas most likely to be involved in the modulation of play include regions within the prefrontal cortex, dorsal and ventral striatum, some regions of the amygdala, and habenula. This paper discusses what we currently know about the neurobiological substrates of play and how this can help illuminate functional questions about the putative benefits of play.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stephen M Siviy
- Department of Psychology, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA 17325, USA
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Abstract
New neurons generated in the adult brain have been shown in rodents to mediate specific functions, including neural plasticity. This Essay discusses recent work on human adult neurogenesis, examining how it compares to that in other mammals. New neurons are continuously generated in specific regions in the adult brain. Studies in rodents have demonstrated that adult-born neurons have specific functional features and mediate neural plasticity. Data on the extent and dynamics of adult neurogenesis in adult humans are starting to emerge, and there are clear similarities and differences compared to other mammals. Why do these differences arise? And what do they mean?
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aurélie Ernst
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Division of Molecular Genetics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jonas Frisén
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Barger N, Hanson KL, Teffer K, Schenker-Ahmed NM, Semendeferi K. Evidence for evolutionary specialization in human limbic structures. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:277. [PMID: 24904348 PMCID: PMC4033018 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2014] [Accepted: 04/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasingly, functional and evolutionary research has highlighted the important contribution emotion processing makes to complex human social cognition. As such, it may be asked whether neural structures involved in emotion processing, commonly referred to as limbic structures, have been impacted in human brain evolution. To address this question, we performed an extensive evolutionary analysis of multiple limbic structures using modern phylogenetic tools. For this analysis, we combined new volumetric data for the hominoid (human and ape) amygdala and 4 amygdaloid nuclei, hippocampus, and striatum, collected using stereological methods in complete histological series, with previously published datasets on the amygdala, orbital and medial frontal cortex, and insula, as well as a non-limbic structure, the dorsal frontal cortex, for contrast. We performed a parallel analysis using large published datasets including many anthropoid species (human, ape, and monkey), but fewer hominoids, for the amygdala and 2 amygdaloid subdivisions, hippocampus, schizocortex, striatum, and septal nuclei. To address evolutionary change, we compared observed human values to values predicted from regressions run through (a) non-human hominoids and (b) non-human anthropoids, assessing phylogenetic influence using phylogenetic generalized least squares regression. Compared with other hominoids, the volumes of the hippocampus, the lateral nucleus of the amygdala, and the orbital frontal cortex were, respectively, 50, 37, and 11% greater in humans than predicted for an ape of human hemisphere volume, while the medial and dorsal frontal cortex were, respectively, 26 and 29% significantly smaller. Compared with other anthropoids, only human values for the striatum fell significantly below predicted values. Overall, the data present support for the idea that regions involved in emotion processing are not necessarily conserved or regressive, but may even be enhanced in recent human evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Barger
- Department of Anthropology, University of California San Diego La Jolla, CA, USA ; Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, MIND Institute, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - Kari L Hanson
- Department of Anthropology, University of California San Diego La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Kate Teffer
- Department of Anthropology, University of California San Diego La Jolla, CA, USA
| | | | - Katerina Semendeferi
- Department of Anthropology, University of California San Diego La Jolla, CA, USA ; Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California San Diego La Jolla, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Brain activation by an olfactory stimulus paired with juvenile play in female rats. Physiol Behav 2014; 133:39-44. [PMID: 24835545 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2013] [Revised: 03/06/2014] [Accepted: 05/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
We have previously shown that reward experienced during social play at juvenile age can be paired with artificial odors, and later in adulthood facilitate olfactory conditioned partner preferences (PP) in female rats. Herein, we examined the expression of FOS immunoreactivity (FOS-IR) following exposure to the odor paired with juvenile play (CS+). Starting at day P31 females received daily 30-min periods of social play with lemon-scented (paired group) or unscented females (unpaired group). At day P42, they were tested for play-PP with two juvenile males, one bearing the CS+ (lemon) and one bearing a novel odor (almond). Females were ovariectomized, hormone-primed and at day P55 tested for sexual-PP between two adult stud males scented with lemon or almond. In both tests, females from the paired group displayed conditioned PP (play or sexual) toward males bearing the CS+. In the present experiments females were exposed at day P59 to the CS+ during 60 min and their brains processed for FOS-IR. One group of female rats (Play+Sex) underwent play-PP and sexual-PP, whereas a second group of females (Play-only) underwent exclusively play-PP but not sexual-PP. Results showed that in the Play-only experiment exposure to the CS+ induced more FOS-IR in the medial prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, dorsal striatum, and ventral tegmental area as compared to females from the unpaired group. In the Play+Sex experiment, more FOS-IR was observed in the piriform cortex, dorsal striatum, lateral septum, nucleus accumbens shell, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and medial amygdala as compared to females from the unpaired group. Taken together, these results indicate mesocorticolimbic brain areas direct the expectation and/or choice of conditioned partners in female rats. In addition, transferring the meaning of play to sex preference requires different brain areas.
Collapse
|
18
|
Montgomery SH. The relationship between play, brain growth and behavioural flexibility in primates. Anim Behav 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
|
19
|
van Kerkhof LWM, Damsteegt R, Trezza V, Voorn P, Vanderschuren LJMJ. Social play behavior in adolescent rats is mediated by functional activity in medial prefrontal cortex and striatum. Neuropsychopharmacology 2013; 38:1899-909. [PMID: 23568326 PMCID: PMC3746695 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2013.83] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2012] [Revised: 03/29/2013] [Accepted: 04/03/2013] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Social play behavior is a characteristic, vigorous form of social interaction in young mammals. It is highly rewarding and thought to be of major importance for social and cognitive development. The neural substrates of social play are incompletely understood, but there is evidence to support a role for the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and striatum in this behavior. Using pharmacological inactivation methods, ie, infusions of GABA receptor agonists (baclofen and muscimol; B&M) or the AMPA/kainate receptor antagonist 6,7-dinitroquinoxaline-2,3(1H,4H)-dione (DNQX), we investigated the involvement of several subregions of the medial PFC and striatum in social play. Inactivation of the prelimbic cortex, infralimbic cortex, and medial/ventral orbitofrontal cortex using B&M markedly reduced frequency and duration of social play behavior. Local administration of DNQX into the dorsomedial striatum increased the frequency and duration of social play, whereas infusion of B&M tended to have the same effect. Inactivation of the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) core using B&M increased duration but not frequency of social play, whereas B&M infusion into the NAcc shell did not influence social play behavior. Thus, functional integrity of the medial PFC is important for the expression of social play behavior. Glutamatergic inputs into the dorsomedial striatum exert an inhibitory influence on social play, and functional activity in the NAcc core acts to limit the length of playful interactions. These results highlight the importance of prefrontal and striatal circuits implicated in cognitive control, decision making, behavioral inhibition, and reward-associated processes in social play behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Linda WM van Kerkhof
- Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Ruth Damsteegt
- Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Viviana Trezza
- Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands,Department of Biology, University ‘Roma Tre', Rome, Italy
| | - Pieter Voorn
- Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Louk JMJ Vanderschuren
- Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands,Department of Animals in Science and Society, Division of Behavioural Neuroscience, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands,Department of Animals in Science and Society, Division of Behavioural Neuroscience, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 2, Utrecht 3584 CM, The Netherlands, Tel: +31 30 2535239, Fax: +31 30 2537997, E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Abstract
Encephalization is a concept that implies an increase in brain or neocortex size relative to body size, size of lower brain areas, and/or evolutionary time. Here, I review 26 large-scale comparative studies that provide robust evidence for five lifestyle correlates of encephalization (group living, a large home range, a high-quality diet, a strong reliance on vision, arboreal and forest dwelling), six cognitive correlates (better performance in captive tests, more tactical deception, innovation, tool use, social learning, all subsumed in part by general intelligence), one life history correlate (a longer lifespan), two evolutionary correlates (a high rate of change in microcephaly genes, an increase in brain size over macroevolutionary time), as well as three trade-offs (a slower juvenile development, a higher metabolic rate, sexually selected dimorphism). Of the 26 different encephalization measures used in these studies, corrected neocortex size, either with a ratio or a residual, is the most popular structural correlate of the functional variables, while residual brain size is the measure associated with the greatest number of them. Controversies remain on corrected or absolute measures of neural structure size, concerted versus mosaic evolution of brain parts and specialized versus domain-general brain structures and cognitive processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Louis Lefebvre
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Cherng CFG, Chang CP, Su CC, Tzeng WY, Chuang JY, Chen LH, Lin KY, Yu L. Odors from proximal species reverse the stress-decreased neurogenesis via main olfactory processing. Behav Brain Res 2011; 229:106-12. [PMID: 22200498 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2011.12.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2011] [Revised: 12/06/2011] [Accepted: 12/11/2011] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Unconditioned foot shock followed by restraint in water was used as a stress regimen to induce decreases in neurogenesis in mouse dentate gyrus (DG). Presence of conspecific odors has been known to reverse the stress-induced decrease in DG neurogenesis. In this study, we found that the conspecific odors did not produce these protective effects in mice whose MOE was impaired by nasal zinc sulfate lavage. Moreover, we observed that the presence of odors from rats, hamsters, and guinea pigs throughout the stress procedure reversed the stress-induced decrease in cell proliferation and neurogenesis in mouse dentate gyrus, while these odors alone did not affect mouse dentate cell proliferation or neurogenesis. In contrast, the presence of rabbit, sugar glider, hedgehog, beetle odors did not affect cell proliferation, neurogenesis, the stress-decreased cell proliferation or neurogenesis in DG. Finally, the presence of fox urine odors decreased mouse dentate cell proliferation and neurogenesis but did not affect the stress-induced decrease in cell proliferation or neurogenesis. Taken together, we conclude that olfactory processing via activation of sensory neurons in MOE is responsible for the conspecific odor-produced protective effect against the stress-decreased cell proliferation and neurogenesis. Phylogenetic distances of the odor-generating species and mice might contribute to the odors' protective effects against the stress-induced decreases in cell proliferation and neurogenesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chian-Fang G Cherng
- Department of Health Psychology, Chang Jung Christian University, Tainan, 71101, Taiwan, ROC
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
22
|
Siviy SM, Panksepp J. In search of the neurobiological substrates for social playfulness in mammalian brains. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2011; 35:1821-30. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2011.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2010] [Revised: 03/06/2011] [Accepted: 03/07/2011] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
|
23
|
Pietropaolo S, Delage P, Cayzac S, Crusio WE, Cho YH. Sex-dependent changes in social behaviors in motor pre-symptomatic R6/1 mice. PLoS One 2011; 6:e19965. [PMID: 21603578 PMCID: PMC3095644 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0019965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2011] [Accepted: 04/15/2011] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The R6/1 mouse line is one of the most widely employed models of Huntington Disease (HD), a complex syndrome characterized by motor and non-motor deficits. Surprisingly, its behavioral phenotype during the early phases of the pathology when the motor impairments are not manifest yet has been poorly investigated. It is also not clear whether the expression of HD-like symptoms at the pre-motor stage in this mouse model differs between the two sexes. METHODS Male and female 12 weeks-old R6/1 mice and their wild-type littermates were tested on a battery of tests modeling some of the major neuropsychiatric non-motor symptoms of HD: alterations in social interest, social interaction and communication, as well as disturbances in prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response (PPI) and circadian patterns of activity. The lack of motor symptoms was confirmed during the entire experimental period by means of the tail test for clasping. RESULTS R6/1 mice displayed marked alterations in all social behaviors which were mainly observed in males. Male R6/1 animals were also the only ones showing reduced body weight. Both male and female transgenic mice displayed mild alterations in the circadian activity patterns, but no deficits in PPI. CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate the validity of the R6/1 mouse in mimicking selected neuropsychiatric symptoms of HD, the social deficits being the clearest markers of the pre-motor phase of the pathology. Furthermore, our data suggest that male R6/1 mice are more suitable for future studies on the early stages of HD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Susanna Pietropaolo
- Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine, Université de Bordeaux and CNRS UMR 5287, Talence, France
| | - Pauline Delage
- Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine, Université de Bordeaux and CNRS UMR 5287, Talence, France
| | - Sebastien Cayzac
- Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine, Université de Bordeaux and CNRS UMR 5287, Talence, France
| | - Wim E. Crusio
- Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine, Université de Bordeaux and CNRS UMR 5287, Talence, France
| | - Yoon H. Cho
- Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine, Université de Bordeaux and CNRS UMR 5287, Talence, France
| |
Collapse
|