1
|
Mimura K, Matsumoto J, Mochihashi D, Nakamura T, Nishijo H, Higuchi M, Hirabayashi T, Minamimoto T. Unsupervised decomposition of natural monkey behavior into a sequence of motion motifs. Commun Biol 2024; 7:1080. [PMID: 39227400 PMCID: PMC11371840 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06786-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/27/2024] [Indexed: 09/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Nonhuman primates (NHPs) exhibit complex and diverse behavior that typifies advanced cognitive function and social communication, but quantitative and systematical measure of this natural nonverbal processing has been a technical challenge. Specifically, a method is required to automatically segment time series of behavior into elemental motion motifs, much like finding meaningful words in character strings. Here, we propose a solution called SyntacticMotionParser (SMP), a general-purpose unsupervised behavior parsing algorithm using a nonparametric Bayesian model. Using three-dimensional posture-tracking data from NHPs, SMP automatically outputs an optimized sequence of latent motion motifs classified into the most likely number of states. When applied to behavioral datasets from common marmosets and rhesus monkeys, SMP outperformed conventional posture-clustering models and detected a set of behavioral ethograms from publicly available data. SMP also quantified and visualized the behavioral effects of chemogenetic neural manipulations. SMP thus has the potential to dramatically improve our understanding of natural NHP behavior in a variety of contexts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Koki Mimura
- Advanced Neuroimaging Center, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan.
- Research Center for Medical and Health Data Science, The Institute of Statistical Mathematics, Tokyo, 190-0014, Japan.
| | - Jumpei Matsumoto
- Department of System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, 930-8555, Japan
- Research Center for Idling Brain Science, University of Toyama, Toyama, 930-8555, Japan
| | - Daichi Mochihashi
- Department of Statistical Inference and Mathematics, The Institute of Statistical Mathematics, Tokyo, 190-9562, Japan
| | - Tomoaki Nakamura
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Intelligent Systems, The University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo, 182-8585, Japan
| | - Hisao Nishijo
- Department of System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, 930-8555, Japan
- Research Center for Idling Brain Science, University of Toyama, Toyama, 930-8555, Japan
| | - Makoto Higuchi
- Advanced Neuroimaging Center, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan
| | - Toshiyuki Hirabayashi
- Advanced Neuroimaging Center, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan
| | - Takafumi Minamimoto
- Advanced Neuroimaging Center, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Lin S, Gillis WF, Weinreb C, Zeine A, Jones SC, Robinson EM, Markowitz J, Datta SR. Characterizing the structure of mouse behavior using Motion Sequencing. Nat Protoc 2024:10.1038/s41596-024-01015-w. [PMID: 38926589 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-024-01015-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Spontaneous mouse behavior is composed from repeatedly used modules of movement (e.g., rearing, running or grooming) that are flexibly placed into sequences whose content evolves over time. By identifying behavioral modules and the order in which they are expressed, researchers can gain insight into the effect of drugs, genes, context, sensory stimuli and neural activity on natural behavior. Here we present a protocol for performing Motion Sequencing (MoSeq), an ethologically inspired method that uses three-dimensional machine vision and unsupervised machine learning to decompose spontaneous mouse behavior into a series of elemental modules called 'syllables'. This protocol is based upon a MoSeq pipeline that includes modules for depth video acquisition, data preprocessing and modeling, as well as a standardized set of visualization tools. Users are provided with instructions and code for building a MoSeq imaging rig and acquiring three-dimensional video of spontaneous mouse behavior for submission to the modeling framework; the outputs of this protocol include syllable labels for each frame of the video data as well as summary plots describing how often each syllable was used and how syllables transitioned from one to the other. In addition, we provide instructions for analyzing and visualizing the outputs of keypoint-MoSeq, a recently developed variant of MoSeq that can identify behavioral motifs from keypoints identified from standard (rather than depth) video. This protocol and the accompanying pipeline significantly lower the bar for users without extensive computational ethology experience to adopt this unsupervised, data-driven approach to characterize mouse behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sherry Lin
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Caleb Weinreb
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ayman Zeine
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Samuel C Jones
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Emma M Robinson
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jeffrey Markowitz
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Oesch LT, Ryan MB, Churchland AK. From innate to instructed: A new look at perceptual decision-making. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2024; 86:102871. [PMID: 38569230 PMCID: PMC11162954 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2024.102871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
Understanding how subjects perceive sensory stimuli in their environment and use this information to guide appropriate actions is a major challenge in neuroscience. To study perceptual decision-making in animals, researchers use tasks that either probe spontaneous responses to stimuli (often described as "naturalistic") or train animals to associate stimuli with experimenter-defined responses. Spontaneous decisions rely on animals' pre-existing knowledge, while trained tasks offer greater versatility, albeit often at the cost of extensive training. Here, we review emerging approaches to investigate perceptual decision-making using both spontaneous and trained behaviors, highlighting their strengths and limitations. Additionally, we propose how trained decision-making tasks could be improved to achieve faster learning and a more generalizable understanding of task rules.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lukas T Oesch
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Michael B Ryan
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States. https://twitter.com/NeuroMikeRyan
| | - Anne K Churchland
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Grammer J, Valles R, Bowles A, Zelikowsky M. SAUSI: a novel assay for measuring social anxiety and motivation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.13.594023. [PMID: 38798428 PMCID: PMC11118329 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.13.594023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Social anxiety is one of the most prevalent mental health disorders, though the underlying neurobiology is poorly understood. Progress in understanding the etiology of social anxiety has been hindered by the lack of comprehensive tools to assess social anxiety in model systems. Here, we created a new behavioral task - Selective Access to Unrestricted Social Interaction (SAUSI), which combines elements of social motivation, hesitancy, decision-making, and free interaction to enable the wholistic assessment of social anxiety-like behaviors in mice. Using this novel assay, we found that social isolation-induced social anxiety-like behaviors in female mice are largely driven by increases in social fear, social hesitancy, and altered ultrasonic vocalizations. Deep learning analyses were able to computationally identify a unique behavioral footprint underlying the state produced by social isolation, demonstrating the compatibility of modern computational approaches with SAUSI. Finally, we compared the results of SAUSI to traditionally social assays including the 3-chamber sociability assay and the resident intruder task. This revealed that behavioral changes induced by isolation were highly context dependent, and that while fragments of social anxiety measured in SAUSI were replicable across other tasks, a wholistic assessment was not obtainable from these alternative assays. Our findings debut a novel task for the behavioral toolbox - one which overcomes limitations of previous assays, allowing for both social choice as well as free interaction, and offers a new approach for assessing social anxiety in rodents.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jordan Grammer
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Utah, United States
| | - Rene Valles
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Utah, United States
| | - Alexis Bowles
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Utah, United States
| | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Puzzo C, Festucci F, Curcio G, Gigantesco A, Adriani W. Exploring transgenerational inheritance in epigenotypes of DAT heterozygous rats: Circadian anomalies and attentional vulnerability. Behav Brain Res 2024; 464:114921. [PMID: 38408522 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.114921] [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: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Dopamine (DA) is mainly involved in locomotor activity, reward processes and maternal behaviors. Rats with KO gene for dopamine transporter (DAT), coding for a truncated DAT protein, are in hyperdopaminergic conditions and thus develop stereotyped behaviors and hyperactivity. Our aim was to test the prior transgenerational modulation of wild and truncated alleles as expressed in heterozygous DAT rats: specifically, we addressed the possible sequelae due to genotype and gender of the ancestors, with regard to behavioral differences in F1, F2, F3 rats. We studied non-classical DAT heterozygotes (HETs) based on two specular lines, with putative grand-maternal vs. grand-paternal imprinting. MAT females (F1; offspring of KO male and WT female) mated with a KO male to generate MIX offspring (F2). Specularly, PAT females (F1; offspring of KO female and WT male) mated with a KO male to generate PIX offspring (F2). Similarly to PAT, we obtained MUX (F2; HET offspring of MAT sire and KO dam); we also observed the F3 (MYX: HET offspring of KO male and MUX female, thus with DAT-KO maternal grandmother like also for PIX). We studied their circadian cycle of locomotor activity and their behavior in the elevated-plus-maze (EPM). Locomotor hyper-activity occurs in F1, the opposite occurs in F2, with MYX rats appearing undistinguishable from WT ones. Open-arm preference emerged in PIX and MIX rats. Only MAT and MYX rats showed a significant vulnerability for ADHD-like inattentive symptoms (duration of rearing in the EPM; Viggiano et al., 2002). A risk-taking profile is evident in the F2 phenotype, while inattentiveness from F1 progeny tends to be transferred to F3. We hypothesize that DAT-related phenotypes result from effective inheritance through pedigree of imprints that are dependent on grandparents, suggesting a protective role for gestation within a hyperdopaminergic uterus. For major features, similar odd (F1, F3) generations appear opposed to even (F2) ones; for minor specific features, the phenotype transfer may affect the progenies with a male but not a female DAT-KO ancestor.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Concetto Puzzo
- Faculty of Psychology, Università Telematica Internazionale Uninettuno, Rome, Italy; Center for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Fabiana Festucci
- Dept. of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, Università degli Studi dell'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Curcio
- Dept. of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, Università degli Studi dell'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy.
| | - Antonella Gigantesco
- Center for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Walter Adriani
- Faculty of Psychology, Università Telematica Internazionale Uninettuno, Rome, Italy; Center for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Seiler JL, Zhuang X, Nelson AB, Lerner TN. Dopamine across timescales and cell types: Relevance for phenotypes in Parkinson's disease progression. Exp Neurol 2024; 374:114693. [PMID: 38242300 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2024.114693] [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: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
Dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) synthesize and release dopamine, a critical neurotransmitter for movement and learning. SNc dopamine neurons degenerate in Parkinson's Disease (PD), causing a host of motor and non-motor symptoms. Here, we review recent conceptual advances in our basic understanding of the dopamine system - including our rapidly advancing knowledge of dopamine neuron heterogeneity - with special attention to their importance for understanding PD. In PD patients, dopamine neuron degeneration progresses from lateral SNc to medial SNc, suggesting clinically relevant heterogeneity in dopamine neurons. With technical advances in dopamine system interrogation, we can understand the relevance of this heterogeneity for PD progression and harness it to develop new treatments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jillian L Seiler
- Department of Neuroscience, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA; Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
| | - Xiaowen Zhuang
- Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Weill Institute for Neuroscience, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
| | - Alexandra B Nelson
- Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Weill Institute for Neuroscience, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, USA.
| | - Talia N Lerner
- Department of Neuroscience, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA; Northwestern University Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program (NUIN), Evanston, IL, USA; Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Smith JE, Carminito C, Hamilton S, Newcomb KL, Randt C, Travenick S. Sensory integration of danger and safety cues may explain the fear of a quiet coyote. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231812. [PMID: 37876200 PMCID: PMC10598434 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1812] [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: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Sensory integration theory predicts natural selection should favour adaptive responses of animals to multiple forms of information, yet empirical tests of this prediction are rare, particularly in free-living mammals. Studying indirect predator cues offers a salient opportunity to inquire about multimodal risk assessment and its potentially interactive effects on prey responses. Here we exposed California ground squirrels from two study sites (that differ in human and domestic dog activity) to acoustic and/or olfactory predator cues to reveal divergent patterns of signal dominance. Olfactory information most strongly predicted space use within the testing arena. That is, individuals, especially those at the human-impacted site, avoided coyote urine, a danger cue that may communicate the proximity of a coyote. By contrast, subjects allocated less time to risk-sensitive behaviours when exposed to acoustic cues. Specifically, although individuals were consistent in their behavioural responses across trials, 'quiet coyotes' (urine without calls) significantly increased the behavioural reactivity of prey, likely because coyotes rarely vocalize when hunting. More broadly, our findings highlight the need to consider the evolution of integrated fear responses and contribute to an emerging understanding of how animals integrate multiple forms of information to trade off between danger and safety cues in a changing world.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer E. Smith
- Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI, USA
- Department of Biology, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland, CA 94631, USA
| | - Chelsea Carminito
- Department of Biology, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland, CA 94631, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, 614 Rieveschl Hall, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
| | - Shea Hamilton
- Department of Biology, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland, CA 94631, USA
| | - Kate Lee Newcomb
- Department of Biology, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland, CA 94631, USA
| | - Clare Randt
- Department of Biology, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland, CA 94631, USA
| | - Sarah Travenick
- Department of Biology, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland, CA 94631, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Migliaro M, Ruiz-Contreras AE, Herrera-Solís A, Méndez-Díaz M, Prospéro-García OE. Endocannabinoid system and aggression across animal species. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 153:105375. [PMID: 37643683 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105375] [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: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
This narrative review article summarizes the current state of knowledge regarding the relationship between the endocannabinoid system (ECS) and aggression across multiple vertebrate species. Experimental evidence indicates that acute administration of phytocannabinoids, synthetic cannabinoids, and the pharmacological enhancement of endocannabinoid signaling decreases aggressive behavior in several animal models. However, research on the chronic effects of cannabinoids on animal aggression has yielded inconsistent findings, indicating a need for further investigation. Cannabinoid receptors, particularly cannabinoid receptor type 1, appear to be an important part of the endogenous mechanism involved in the dampening of aggressive behavior. Overall, this review underscores the importance of the ECS in regulating aggressive behavior and provides a foundation for future research in this area.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martin Migliaro
- Grupo de Neurociencias: Laboratorio de Cannabinoides, Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, UNAM, Mexico.
| | - Alejandra E Ruiz-Contreras
- Grupo de Neurociencias: Laboratorio de Neurogenómica Cognitiva, Unidad de Investigación en Psicobiología y Neurociencias, Coordinación de Psicobiología y Neurociencias, Facultad de Psicología, UNAM, Mexico
| | - Andrea Herrera-Solís
- Grupo de Neurociencias: Laboratorio de Efectos Terapéuticos de los Cannabinoides, Hospital General Dr. Manuel Gea González, Secretaría de Salud, Mexico
| | - Mónica Méndez-Díaz
- Grupo de Neurociencias: Laboratorio de Cannabinoides, Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, UNAM, Mexico
| | - Oscar E Prospéro-García
- Grupo de Neurociencias: Laboratorio de Cannabinoides, Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, UNAM, Mexico
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Fan JE, Bainbridge WA, Chamberlain R, Wammes JD. Drawing as a versatile cognitive tool. NATURE REVIEWS PSYCHOLOGY 2023; 2:556-568. [PMID: 39239312 PMCID: PMC11377027 DOI: 10.1038/s44159-023-00212-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2024]
Abstract
Drawing is a cognitive tool that makes the invisible contents of mental life visible. Humans use this tool to produce a remarkable variety of pictures, from realistic portraits to schematic diagrams. Despite this variety and the prevalence of drawn images, the psychological mechanisms that enable drawings to be so versatile have yet to be fully explored. In this Review, we synthesize contemporary work in multiple areas of psychology, computer science and neuroscience that examines the cognitive processes involved in drawing production and comprehension. This body of findings suggests that the balance of contributions from perception, memory and social inference during drawing production varies depending on the situation, resulting in some drawings that are more realistic and other drawings that are more abstract. We also consider the use of drawings as a research tool for investigating various aspects of cognition, as well as the role that drawing has in facilitating learning and communication. Taken together, information about how drawings are used in different contexts illuminates the central role of visually grounded abstractions in human thought and behaviour.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Judith E Fan
- Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Jeffrey D Wammes
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Hernández-Arteaga E, Ågmo A. Seminatural environments for rodent behavioral testing: a representative design improving animal welfare and enhancing replicability. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1192213. [PMID: 37424748 PMCID: PMC10323197 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1192213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The low replicability of scientific studies has become an important issue. One possible cause is low representativeness of the experimental design employed. Already in the 1950's, Egon Brunswick pointed out that experimental setups ideally should be based on a random sample of stimuli from the subjects' natural environment or at least include basic features of that environment. Only experimental designs satisfying this criterion, representative designs in Brunswikian terminology, can produce results generalizable beyond the procedure used and to situations outside the laboratory. Such external validity is crucial in preclinical drug studies, for example, and should be important for replicability in general. Popular experimental setups in rodent research on non-human animals, like the tail suspension test or the Geller-Seifter procedure, do not correspond to contexts likely to be encountered in the animals' habitat. Consequently, results obtained in this kind of procedures can be generalized neither to other procedures nor to contexts outside the laboratory. Furthermore, many traditional procedures are incompatible with current notions of animal welfare. An approximation to the natural social and physical context can be provided in the laboratory, in the form of a seminatural environment. In addition to satisfy the basic demands for a representative design, such environments offer a far higher level of animal welfare than the typical small cages. This perspective article will briefly discuss the basic principles of the generalizability of experimental results, the virtues of representative designs and the coincidence of enhanced scientific quality and animal welfare provided by this kind of design.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Anders Ågmo
- Department of Psychology, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Ravens A, Stacher-Hörndli CN, Emery J, Steinwand S, Shepherd JD, Gregg C. Arc regulates a second-guessing cognitive bias during naturalistic foraging through effects on discrete behavior modules. iScience 2023; 26:106761. [PMID: 37216088 PMCID: PMC10196573 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Foraging in animals relies on innate decision-making heuristics that can result in suboptimal cognitive biases in some contexts. The mechanisms underlying these biases are not well understood, but likely involve strong genetic effects. To explore this, we studied fasted mice using a naturalistic foraging paradigm and discovered an innate cognitive bias called "second-guessing." This involves repeatedly investigating an empty former food patch instead of consuming available food, which hinders the mice from maximizing feeding benefits. The synaptic plasticity gene Arc is revealed to play a role in this bias, as Arc-deficient mice did not exhibit second-guessing and consumed more food. In addition, unsupervised machine learning decompositions of foraging identified specific behavior sequences, or "modules", that are affected by Arc. These findings highlight the genetic basis of cognitive biases in decision making, show links between behavior modules and cognitive bias, and provide insight into the ethological roles of Arc in naturalistic foraging.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alicia Ravens
- University of Utah, Department of Neurobiology, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | | | - Jared Emery
- Storyline Health Inc., Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Susan Steinwand
- University of Utah, Department of Neurobiology, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Jason D. Shepherd
- University of Utah, Department of Neurobiology, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- University of Utah, Department of Biochemistry School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- University of Utah, Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Christopher Gregg
- University of Utah, Department of Neurobiology, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- University of Utah, Department of Human Genetics, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Storyline Health Inc., Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Ehlman SM, Scherer U, Bierbach D, Francisco FA, Laskowski KL, Krause J, Wolf M. Leveraging big data to uncover the eco-evolutionary factors shaping behavioural development. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20222115. [PMID: 36722081 PMCID: PMC9890127 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.2115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Mapping the eco-evolutionary factors shaping the development of animals' behavioural phenotypes remains a great challenge. Recent advances in 'big behavioural data' research-the high-resolution tracking of individuals and the harnessing of that data with powerful analytical tools-have vastly improved our ability to measure and model developing behavioural phenotypes. Applied to the study of behavioural ontogeny, the unfolding of whole behavioural repertoires can be mapped in unprecedented detail with relative ease. This overcomes long-standing experimental bottlenecks and heralds a surge of studies that more finely define and explore behavioural-experiential trajectories across development. In this review, we first provide a brief guide to state-of-the-art approaches that allow the collection and analysis of high-resolution behavioural data across development. We then outline how such approaches can be used to address key issues regarding the ecological and evolutionary factors shaping behavioural development: developmental feedbacks between behaviour and underlying states, early life effects and behavioural transitions, and information integration across development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sean M. Ehlman
- SCIoI Excellence Cluster, 10587 Berlin, Germany,Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt University, 10117 Berlin, Germany,Department of Fish Biology, Fisheries, and Aquaculture, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, 12587 Berlin, Germany
| | - Ulrike Scherer
- SCIoI Excellence Cluster, 10587 Berlin, Germany,Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt University, 10117 Berlin, Germany,Department of Fish Biology, Fisheries, and Aquaculture, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, 12587 Berlin, Germany
| | - David Bierbach
- SCIoI Excellence Cluster, 10587 Berlin, Germany,Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt University, 10117 Berlin, Germany,Department of Fish Biology, Fisheries, and Aquaculture, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, 12587 Berlin, Germany
| | - Fritz A. Francisco
- SCIoI Excellence Cluster, 10587 Berlin, Germany,Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt University, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Kate L. Laskowski
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California – Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Jens Krause
- SCIoI Excellence Cluster, 10587 Berlin, Germany,Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt University, 10117 Berlin, Germany,Department of Fish Biology, Fisheries, and Aquaculture, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, 12587 Berlin, Germany
| | - Max Wolf
- SCIoI Excellence Cluster, 10587 Berlin, Germany,Department of Fish Biology, Fisheries, and Aquaculture, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, 12587 Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Nair A, Karigo T, Yang B, Ganguli S, Schnitzer MJ, Linderman SW, Anderson DJ, Kennedy A. An approximate line attractor in the hypothalamus encodes an aggressive state. Cell 2023; 186:178-193.e15. [PMID: 36608653 PMCID: PMC9990527 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.11.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Revised: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The hypothalamus regulates innate social behaviors, including mating and aggression. These behaviors can be evoked by optogenetic stimulation of specific neuronal subpopulations within MPOA and VMHvl, respectively. Here, we perform dynamical systems modeling of population neuronal activity in these nuclei during social behaviors. In VMHvl, unsupervised analysis identified a dominant dimension of neural activity with a large time constant (>50 s), generating an approximate line attractor in neural state space. Progression of the neural trajectory along this attractor was correlated with an escalation of agonistic behavior, suggesting that it may encode a scalable state of aggressiveness. Consistent with this, individual differences in the magnitude of the integration dimension time constant were strongly correlated with differences in aggressiveness. In contrast, approximate line attractors were not observed in MPOA during mating; instead, neurons with fast dynamics were tuned to specific actions. Thus, different hypothalamic nuclei employ distinct neural population codes to represent similar social behaviors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aditya Nair
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Tomomi Karigo
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Bin Yang
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Surya Ganguli
- Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Mark J Schnitzer
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Scott W Linderman
- Department of Statistics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - David J Anderson
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
| | - Ann Kennedy
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago IL 60611, USA.
| |
Collapse
|