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Forss S, Ciria A, Clark F, Galusca CL, Harrison D, Lee S. A transdisciplinary view on curiosity beyond linguistic humans: animals, infants, and artificial intelligence. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:979-998. [PMID: 38287201 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
Curiosity is a core driver for life-long learning, problem-solving and decision-making. In a broad sense, curiosity is defined as the intrinsically motivated acquisition of novel information. Despite a decades-long history of curiosity research and the earliest human theories arising from studies of laboratory rodents, curiosity has mainly been considered in two camps: 'linguistic human' and 'other'. This is despite psychology being heritable, and there are many continuities in cognitive capacities across the animal kingdom. Boundary-pushing cross-disciplinary debates on curiosity are lacking, and the relative exclusion of pre-linguistic infants and non-human animals has led to a scientific impasse which more broadly impedes the development of artificially intelligent systems modelled on curiosity in natural agents. In this review, we synthesize literature across multiple disciplines that have studied curiosity in non-verbal systems. By highlighting how similar findings have been produced across the separate disciplines of animal behaviour, developmental psychology, neuroscience, and computational cognition, we discuss how this can be used to advance our understanding of curiosity. We propose, for the first time, how features of curiosity could be quantified and therefore studied more operationally across systems: across different species, developmental stages, and natural or artificial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Forss
- Collegium Helveticum, Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Zurich, ETH Zurich and Zurich University of the Arts, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alejandra Ciria
- School of Psychology, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Fay Clark
- School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Cristina-Loana Galusca
- Laboratoire de Psychologie et NeuroCognition, CNRS Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - David Harrison
- Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Saein Lee
- Interdisciplinary Program of EcoCreative, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Yildiz C, Medina I. Thermodynamic Analysis to Evaluate the Effect of Diet on Brain Glucose Metabolism: The Case of Fish Oil. Nutrients 2024; 16:631. [PMID: 38474759 DOI: 10.3390/nu16050631] [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: 01/16/2024] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Inefficient glucose metabolism and decreased ATP production in the brain are linked to ageing, cognitive decline, and neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs). This study employed thermodynamic analysis to assess the effect of fish oil supplementation on glucose metabolism in ageing brains. Data from previous studies on glucose metabolism in the aged human brain and grey mouse lemur brains were examined. The results demonstrated that Omega-3 fish oil supplementation in grey mouse lemurs increased entropy generation and decreased Gibbs free energy across all brain regions. Specifically, there was a 47.4% increase in entropy generation and a 47.4 decrease in Gibbs free energy in the whole brain, indicating improved metabolic efficiency. In the human model, looking at the specific brain regions, supplementation with Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) reduced the entropy generation difference between elderly and young individuals in the cerebellum and particular parts of the brain cortex, namely the anterior cingulate and occipital lobe, with 100%, 14.29%, and 20% reductions, respectively. The Gibbs free energy difference was reduced only in the anterior cingulate by 60.64%. This research underscores that the application of thermodynamics is a comparable and powerful tool in comprehending the dynamics and metabolic intricacies within the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cennet Yildiz
- Marine Chemistry, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas CSIC, 36208 Vigo, Spain
- Biothermodynamics, School of Life Sciences, Technische Universität München, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Isabel Medina
- Marine Chemistry, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas CSIC, 36208 Vigo, Spain
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Radespiel U, Scheumann M. Introduction to the Special Issue Celebrating the Life and Work of Elke Zimmermann. INT J PRIMATOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-022-00307-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Ho CLA, Fichtel C, Huber D. The gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus) as a model for early primate brain evolution. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2021; 71:92-99. [PMID: 34768148 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2021.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus), one of the world's smallest primates, is thought to share a similar ecological niche and many anatomical traits with early euprimates. As a result, it has been considered a suitable model system for early primate physiology and behavior. Moreover, recent studies have demonstrated that mouse lemurs have comparable cognitive abilities and cortical functional organization as haplorhines. Finally, the small brain size of mouse lemurs provides us with actual lower limits for miniaturization of functional brain circuits within the primate clade. Considering its phylogenetic position and early primate-like traits, the mouse lemurs are a perfect model species to study the early evolution of primate brains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun Lum Andy Ho
- University of Geneva, Department of Basic Neurosciences, Rue Michel Servet 1, 1206 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Claudia Fichtel
- Verhaltensökologie und Soziobiologie, Deutsches Primatenzentrum, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany; Leibniz Science Campus 'Primate Cognition', 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Daniel Huber
- University of Geneva, Department of Basic Neurosciences, Rue Michel Servet 1, 1206 Geneva, Switzerland.
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Chaudron Y, Pifferi F, Aujard F. Overview of age-related changes in psychomotor and cognitive functions in a prosimian primate, the gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus): Recent advances in risk factors and antiaging interventions. Am J Primatol 2021; 83:e23337. [PMID: 34706117 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23337] [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: 02/03/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Aging is not homogeneous in humans and the determinants leading to differences between subjects are not fully understood. Impaired glucose homeostasis is a major risk factor for cognitive decline in middle-aged humans, pointing at the existence of early markers of unhealthy aging. The gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus), a small lemuriform Malagasy primate, shows relatively slow aging with decreased psychomotor capacities at middle-age (around 5-year old). In some cases (∼10%), it spontaneously leads to pathological aging. In this case, some age-related deficits, such as severe cognitive decline, brain atrophy, amyloidosis, and glucoregulatory imbalance are congruent with what is observed in humans. In the present review, we inventory the changes occurring in psychomotor and cognitive functions during healthy and pathological aging in mouse lemur. It includes a summary of the cerebral, metabolic, and cellular alterations that occur during aging and their relation to cognitive decline. As nutrition is one of the major nonpharmacological antiaging strategies with major potential effects on cognitive performances, we also discuss its role in brain functions and cognitive decline in this species. We show that the overall approach of aging studies in the gray mouse lemur offers promising ways of investigation for understanding, prevention, and treatments of pathological aging in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yohann Chaudron
- UMR CNRS/MNHN 7179, Mécanismes Adaptatifs et Evolution, Brunoy, France
| | - Fabien Pifferi
- UMR CNRS/MNHN 7179, Mécanismes Adaptatifs et Evolution, Brunoy, France
| | - Fabienne Aujard
- UMR CNRS/MNHN 7179, Mécanismes Adaptatifs et Evolution, Brunoy, France
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Song X, García-Saldivar P, Kindred N, Wang Y, Merchant H, Meguerditchian A, Yang Y, Stein EA, Bradberry CW, Ben Hamed S, Jedema HP, Poirier C. Strengths and challenges of longitudinal non-human primate neuroimaging. Neuroimage 2021; 236:118009. [PMID: 33794361 PMCID: PMC8270888 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Revised: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Longitudinal non-human primate neuroimaging has the potential to greatly enhance our understanding of primate brain structure and function. Here we describe its specific strengths, compared to both cross-sectional non-human primate neuroimaging and longitudinal human neuroimaging, but also its associated challenges. We elaborate on factors guiding the use of different analytical tools, subject-specific versus age-specific templates for analyses, and issues related to statistical power.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaowei Song
- Preclinical Pharmacology Section, Intramural Research Program, NIDA, NIH, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Pamela García-Saldivar
- Instituto de Neurobiología, UNAM, Campus Juriquilla. Boulevard Juriquilla No. 3001 Querétaro, Qro. 76230, México
| | - Nathan Kindred
- Biosciences Institute & Centre for Behaviour and Evolution, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, United Kingdom
| | - Yujiang Wang
- CNNP Lab (www.cnnp-lab.com), Interdisciplinary Complex Systems Group, School of Computing, Newcastle University, United Kingdom
| | - Hugo Merchant
- Instituto de Neurobiología, UNAM, Campus Juriquilla. Boulevard Juriquilla No. 3001 Querétaro, Qro. 76230, México
| | - Adrien Meguerditchian
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, UMR7290, Université Aix-Marseille/CNRS, Institut Language, Communication and the Brain 13331 Marseille, France
| | - Yihong Yang
- Neuroimaging Research Branch, Intramural Research Program, NIDA, NIH, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Elliot A Stein
- Neuroimaging Research Branch, Intramural Research Program, NIDA, NIH, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Charles W Bradberry
- Preclinical Pharmacology Section, Intramural Research Program, NIDA, NIH, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Suliann Ben Hamed
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5229, Université de Lyon - CNRS, France
| | - Hank P Jedema
- Preclinical Pharmacology Section, Intramural Research Program, NIDA, NIH, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.
| | - Colline Poirier
- Biosciences Institute & Centre for Behaviour and Evolution, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, United Kingdom.
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Affective styles and emotional lateralization: A promising framework for animal welfare research. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2021.105279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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Fritz RG, Zimmermann E, Meier M, Mestre-Francés N, Radespiel U, Schmidtke D. Neurobiological substrates of animal personality and cognition in a nonhuman primate (Microcebus murinus). Brain Behav 2020; 10:e01752. [PMID: 32683780 PMCID: PMC7507526 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.1752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Revised: 05/31/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus) is an important nonhuman primate model in biomedical research. Numerous studies investigated mouse lemur behavior and possible factors underlying interindividual variation in both, animal personality and cognitive performance. Some effects, such as an age-related decline in executive functioning, have robustly been found across laboratory colonies; however, little is known about the brain structural substrates in mouse lemurs. METHODS Here, we provide first exploratory data linking in vivo magnetic resonance imaging of 34 mouse lemurs to performance in a standardized, touchscreen-based task on object discrimination and reversal learning as well as to animal personality under different scenarios in an open field. RESULTS High interindividual variability in both brain morphometric and behavioral measurements was found, but only few significant correlations between brain structure and behavior were revealed: Object discrimination learning was linked to the volume of the hippocampus and to temporal lobe thickness, while reversal learning was linked to thalamic volume and the thickness of the anterior cingulate lobe. Emergence latency into the open field correlated with volume of the amygdala. General exploration-avoidance in the empty open-field arena correlated with thicknesses of the anterior cingulate lobe and fronto-parietal substructures. Neophilia, assessed as exploration of a novel object placed in the arena, among others, related to the volume of the caudate nucleus. CONCLUSION In summary, our data suggest a prominent role of temporal structures (including the hippocampus) for learning capability, as well as thalamic and anterior cingulate structures for cognitive flexibility and response inhibition. The amygdala, the anterior cingulate lobe, and the caudate nucleus are particularly linked to animal personality in the open-field setting. These findings are congruent with the comparative psychological literature and provide a valuable basis for future studies elucidating aspects of behavioral variation in this nonhuman primate model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Grace Fritz
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - Elke Zimmermann
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - Martin Meier
- ZTL-Imaging, Institute of Laboratory Animal Science, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | | | - Ute Radespiel
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - Daniel Schmidtke
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany
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