1
|
Harpaz R, Phillips M, Goel R, Fishman MC, Engert F. Experience-dependent modulation of collective behavior in larval zebrafish. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.08.02.606403. [PMID: 39149341 PMCID: PMC11326175 DOI: 10.1101/2024.08.02.606403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/17/2024]
Abstract
Complex group behavior can emerge from simple inter-individual interactions. Commonly, these interactions are considered static and hardwired and little is known about how experience and learning affect collective group behavior. Young larvae use well described visuomotor transformations to guide interindividual interactions and collective group structure. Here, we use naturalistic and virtual-reality (VR) experiments to impose persistent changes in population density and measure their effects on future visually evoked turning behavior and the resulting changes in group structure. We find that neighbor distances decrease after exposure to higher population densities, and increase after the experience of lower densities. These adaptations develop slowly and gradually, over tens of minutes and remain stable over many hours. Mechanistically, we find that larvae estimate their current group density by tracking the frequency of neighbor-evoked looming events on the retina and couple the strength of their future interactions to that estimate. A time-varying state-space model that modulates agents' social interactions based on their previous visual-social experiences, accurately describes our behavioral observations and predicts novel aspects of behavior. These findings provide concrete evidence that inter-individual interactions are not static, but rather continuously evolve based on past experience and current environmental demands. The underlying neurobiological mechanisms of experience dependent modulation can now be explored in this small and transparent model organism.
Collapse
|
2
|
Baier H, Scott EK. The Visual Systems of Zebrafish. Annu Rev Neurosci 2024; 47:255-276. [PMID: 38663429 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-neuro-111020-104854] [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] [Indexed: 08/09/2024]
Abstract
The zebrafish visual system has become a paradigmatic preparation for behavioral and systems neuroscience. Around 40 types of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) serve as matched filters for stimulus features, including light, optic flow, prey, and objects on a collision course. RGCs distribute their signals via axon collaterals to 12 retinorecipient areas in forebrain and midbrain. The major visuomotor hub, the optic tectum, harbors nine RGC input layers that combine information on multiple features. The retinotopic map in the tectum is locally adapted to visual scene statistics and visual subfield-specific behavioral demands. Tectal projections to premotor centers are topographically organized according to behavioral commands. The known connectivity in more than 20 processing streams allows us to dissect the cellular basis of elementary perceptual and cognitive functions. Visually evoked responses, such as prey capture or loom avoidance, are controlled by dedicated multistation pathways that-at least in the larva-resemble labeled lines. This architecture serves the neuronal code's purpose of driving adaptive behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Herwig Baier
- Department of Genes-Circuits-Behavior, Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Martinsried, Germany;
| | - Ethan K Scott
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Rind FC. Recent advances in insect vision in a 3D world: looming stimuli and escape behaviour. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2024; 63:101180. [PMID: 38432555 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2024.101180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
Detecting looming motion directly towards the insect is vital to its survival. Looming detection in two insects, flies and locusts, is described and contrasted. Pathways using looming detectors to trigger action and their topographical layout in the brain is explored in relation to facilitating behavioural selection. Similar visual stimuli, such as looming motion, are processed by nearby glomeruli in the brain. Insect-inspired looming motion detectors are combined to detect and avoid collision in different scenarios by robots, vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)s.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- F Claire Rind
- Newcastle University Biosciences Institute (NUBI), UK.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Yu JH, Napoli JL, Lovett-Barron M. Understanding collective behavior through neurobiology. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2024; 86:102866. [PMID: 38852986 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2024.102866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
A variety of organisms exhibit collective movement, including schooling fish and flocking birds, where coordinated behavior emerges from the interactions between group members. Despite the prevalence of collective movement in nature, little is known about the neural mechanisms producing each individual's behavior within the group. Here we discuss how a neurobiological approach can enrich our understanding of collective behavior by determining the mechanisms by which individuals interact. We provide examples of sensory systems for social communication during collective movement, highlight recent discoveries about neural systems for detecting the position and actions of social partners, and discuss opportunities for future research. Understanding the neurobiology of collective behavior can provide insight into how nervous systems function in a dynamic social world.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jo-Hsien Yu
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA. https://twitter.com/anitajhyu
| | - Julia L Napoli
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA. https://twitter.com/juliadoingneuro
| | - Matthew Lovett-Barron
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Calanni JS, Aranda ML, Dieguez HH, Dorfman D, Schmidt TM, Rosenstein RE. An ethologically relevant paradigm to assess defensive response to looming visual contrast stimuli. Sci Rep 2024; 14:12499. [PMID: 38822033 PMCID: PMC11143276 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-63458-1] [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: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024] Open
Abstract
In the animal kingdom, threat information is perceived mainly through vision. The subcortical visual pathway plays a critical role in the rapid processing of visual information-induced fear, and triggers a response. Looming-evoked behavior in rodents, mimicking response to aerial predators, allowed identify the neural circuitry underlying instinctive defensive behaviors; however, the influence of disk/background contrast on the looming-induced behavioral response has not been examined, either in rats or mice. We studied the influence of the dark disk/gray background contrast in the type of rat and mouse defensive behavior in the looming arena, and we showed that rat and mouse response as a function of disk/background contrast adjusted to a sigmoid-like relationship. Both sex and age biased the contrast-dependent response, which was dampened in rats submitted to retinal unilateral or bilateral ischemia. Moreover, using genetically manipulated mice, we showed that the three type of photoresponsive retinal cells (i.e., cones, rods, and intrinsically photoresponsive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs)), participate in the contrast-dependent response, following this hierarchy: cones > > rods > > > ipRGCs. The cone and rod involvement was confirmed using a mouse model of unilateral non-exudative age-related macular degeneration, which only damages canonical photoreceptors and significantly decreased the contrast sensitivity in the looming arena.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juan S Calanni
- Laboratory of Retinal Neurochemistry and Experimental Ophthalmology, School of Science/IQUIBICEN, University of Buenos Aires/CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Marcos L Aranda
- Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
| | - Hernán H Dieguez
- Laboratory of Retinal Neurochemistry and Experimental Ophthalmology, Department of Human Biochemistry, School of Medicine/CEFyBO, University of Buenos Aires/CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Damian Dorfman
- Laboratory of Retinal Neurochemistry and Experimental Ophthalmology, Department of Human Biochemistry, School of Medicine/CEFyBO, University of Buenos Aires/CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Tiffany M Schmidt
- Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Ruth E Rosenstein
- Laboratory of Retinal Neurochemistry and Experimental Ophthalmology, School of Science/IQUIBICEN, University of Buenos Aires/CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Zaupa M, Nagaraj N, Sylenko A, Baier H, Sawamiphak S, Filosa A. The Calmodulin-interacting peptide Pcp4a regulates feeding state-dependent behavioral choice in zebrafish. Neuron 2024; 112:1150-1164.e6. [PMID: 38295792 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.01.001] [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: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
Animals constantly need to judge the valence of an object in their environment: is it potential food or a threat? The brain makes fundamental decisions on the appropriate behavioral strategy by integrating external information from sensory organs and internal signals related to physiological needs. For example, a hungry animal may take more risks than a satiated one when deciding to approach or avoid an object. Using a proteomic profiling approach, we identified the Calmodulin-interacting peptide Pcp4a as a key regulator of foraging-related decisions. Food intake reduced abundance of protein and mRNA of pcp4a via dopamine D2-like receptor-mediated repression of adenylate cyclase. Accordingly, deleting the pcp4a gene made zebrafish larvae more risk averse in a binary decision assay. Strikingly, neurons in the tectum became less responsive to prey-like visual stimuli in pcp4a mutants, thus biasing the behavior toward avoidance. This study pinpoints a molecular mechanism modulating behavioral choice according to internal state.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Margherita Zaupa
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), 13092 Berlin, Germany; Freie Universität Berlin, Institute for Biology, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Nagarjuna Nagaraj
- Biochemistry Core Facility, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Anna Sylenko
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), 13092 Berlin, Germany; Freie Universität Berlin, Institute for Biology, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Herwig Baier
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Suphansa Sawamiphak
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), 13092 Berlin, Germany
| | - Alessandro Filosa
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), 13092 Berlin, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Lee HB, Shams S, Dang Thi VH, Boyum GE, Modhurima R, Hall EM, Green IK, Cervantes EM, Miguez FE, Clark KJ. Key HPI axis receptors facilitate light adaptive behavior in larval zebrafish. Sci Rep 2024; 14:7759. [PMID: 38565594 PMCID: PMC10987622 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-57707-6] [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: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
The vertebrate stress response (SR) is mediated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and contributes to generating context appropriate physiological and behavioral changes. Although the HPA axis plays vital roles both in stressful and basal conditions, research has focused on the response under stress. To understand broader roles of the HPA axis in a changing environment, we characterized an adaptive behavior of larval zebrafish during ambient illumination changes. Genetic abrogation of glucocorticoid receptor (nr3c1) decreased basal locomotor activity in light and darkness. Some key HPI axis receptors (mc2r [ACTH receptor], nr3c1), but not nr3c2 (mineralocorticoid receptor), were required to adapt to light more efficiently but became dispensable when longer illumination was provided. Such light adaptation was more efficient in dimmer light. Our findings show that the HPI axis contributes to the SR, facilitating the phasic response and maintaining an adapted basal state, and that certain adaptations occur without HPI axis activity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Han B Lee
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Soaleha Shams
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Viet Ha Dang Thi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Grace E Boyum
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Rodsy Modhurima
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Emma M Hall
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Izzabella K Green
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | | | | | - Karl J Clark
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
- Center for Individualized Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
- Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Schmidt AR, Placer HJ, Muhammad IM, Shephard R, Patrick RL, Saurborn T, Horstick EJ, Bergeron SA. Transcriptional control of visual neural circuit development by GS homeobox 1. PLoS Genet 2024; 20:e1011139. [PMID: 38669217 PMCID: PMC11051655 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1011139] [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: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
As essential components of gene expression networks, transcription factors regulate neural circuit assembly. The homeobox transcription factor encoding gene, gs homeobox 1 (gsx1), is expressed in the developing visual system; however, no studies have examined its role in visual system formation. In zebrafish, retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons that transmit visual information to the brain terminate in ten arborization fields (AFs) in the optic tectum (TeO), pretectum (Pr), and thalamus. Pretectal AFs (AF1-AF9) mediate distinct visual behaviors, yet we understand less about their development compared to AF10 in the TeO. Using gsx1 zebrafish mutants, immunohistochemistry, and transgenic lines, we observed that gsx1 is required for vesicular glutamate transporter, Tg(slc17a6b:DsRed), expression in the Pr, but not overall neuron number. gsx1 mutants have normal eye morphology, yet they exhibit impaired visual ability during prey capture. RGC axon volume in the gsx1 mutant Pr and TeO is reduced, and AF7 that is active during feeding is missing which is consistent with reduced hunting performance. Timed laser ablation of Tg(slc17a6b:DsRed)-positive cells reveals that they are necessary for AF7 formation. This work is the first to implicate gsx1 in establishing cell identity and functional neural circuits in the visual system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra R. Schmidt
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virgina, United States of America
| | - Haiden J. Placer
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virgina, United States of America
| | - Ishmael M. Muhammad
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virgina, United States of America
| | - Rebekah Shephard
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virgina, United States of America
| | - Regina L. Patrick
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virgina, United States of America
| | - Taylor Saurborn
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virgina, United States of America
| | - Eric J. Horstick
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virgina, United States of America
- Department of Neuroscience, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virgina, United States of America
| | - Sadie A. Bergeron
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virgina, United States of America
- Department of Neuroscience, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virgina, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Rodriguez-Pinto II, Rieucau G, Handegard NO, Boswell KM, Theobald JC. Environmental impact on visual perception modulates behavioral responses of schooling fish to looming predators. J Exp Biol 2024; 227:jeb246665. [PMID: 38186295 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.246665] [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: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
Aggregation in social fishes has evolved to improve safety from predators. The individual interaction mechanisms that govern collective behavior are determined by the sensory systems that translate environmental information into behavior. In dynamic environments, shifts in conditions impede effective visual sensory perception in fish schools, and may induce changes in the collective response. Here, we consider whether environmental conditions that affect visual contrast modulate the collective response of schools to looming predators. By using a virtual environment to simulate four contrast levels, we tested whether the collective state of minnow fish schools was modified in response to a looming optical stimulus. Our results indicate that fish swam slower and were less polarized in lower contrast conditions. Additionally, schooling metrics known to be regulated by non-visual sensory systems tended to correlate better when contrast decreased. Over the course of the escape response, schools remained tightly formed and retained the capability of transferring social information. We propose that when visual perception is compromised, the interaction rules governing collective behavior are likely to be modified to prioritize ancillary sensory information crucial to maximizing chance of escape. Our results imply that multiple sensory systems can integrate to control collective behavior in environments with unreliable visual information.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ivan I Rodriguez-Pinto
- Institute of Environment, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33172, USA
| | | | | | - Kevin M Boswell
- Institute of Environment, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33172, USA
| | - Jamie C Theobald
- Institute of Environment, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33172, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Calanni JS, Aranda ML, Dieguez HH, Dorfman D, Schmidt TM, Rosenstein RE. An ethologically relevant paradigm to assess visual contrast sensitivity in rodents. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.05.583559. [PMID: 38496475 PMCID: PMC10942302 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.05.583559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
In the animal kingdom, threat information is perceived mainly through vision. The subcortical visual pathway plays a critical role in the rapid processing of visual information-induced fear, and triggers a response. Looming-evoked behavior in rodents, mimicking response to aerial predators, allowed identify the neural circuitry underlying instinctive defensive behaviors; however, the influence of disk/background contrast on the looming-induced behavioral response has not been examined, either in rats or mice. We studied the influence of the dark disk/gray background contrast in the type of rat and mouse defensive behavior in the looming arena, and we showed that rat and mouse response as a function of disk/background contrast adjusted to a sigmoid-like relationship. Both sex and age biased the contrast-dependent response, which was dampened in rats submitted to retinal unilateral or bilateral ischemia. Moreover, using genetically manipulated mice, we showed that the three type of photoresponsive retinal cells (i.e., cones, rods, and intrinsically photoresponsive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs)), participate in the contrast-dependent response, following this hierarchy: cones ˃> rods ˃>>ipRGCs. The cone and rod involvement was confirmed using a mouse model of unilateral non-exudative age-related macular degeneration, which only damages canonical photoreceptors and significantly decreased the contrast sensitivity in the looming arena.
Collapse
|
11
|
Manley J, Vaziri A. Whole-brain neural substrates of behavioral variability in the larval zebrafish. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.03.583208. [PMID: 38496592 PMCID: PMC10942351 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.03.583208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Animals engaged in naturalistic behavior can exhibit a large degree of behavioral variability even under sensory invariant conditions. Such behavioral variability can include not only variations of the same behavior, but also variability across qualitatively different behaviors driven by divergent cognitive states, such as fight-or-flight decisions. However, the neural circuit mechanisms that generate such divergent behaviors across trials are not well understood. To investigate this question, here we studied the visual-evoked responses of larval zebrafish to moving objects of various sizes, which we found exhibited highly variable and divergent responses across repetitions of the same stimulus. Given that the neuronal circuits underlying such behaviors span sensory, motor, and other brain areas, we built a novel Fourier light field microscope which enables high-resolution, whole-brain imaging of larval zebrafish during behavior. This enabled us to screen for neural loci which exhibited activity patterns correlated with behavioral variability. We found that despite the highly variable activity of single neurons, visual stimuli were robustly encoded at the population level, and the visual-encoding dimensions of neural activity did not explain behavioral variability. This robustness despite apparent single neuron variability was due to the multi-dimensional geometry of the neuronal population dynamics: almost all neural dimensions that were variable across individual trials, i.e. the "noise" modes, were orthogonal to those encoding for sensory information. Investigating this neuronal variability further, we identified two sparsely-distributed, brain-wide neuronal populations whose pre-motor activity predicted whether the larva would respond to a stimulus and, if so, which direction it would turn on a single-trial level. These populations predicted single-trial behavior seconds before stimulus onset, indicating they encoded time-varying internal modulating behavior, perhaps organizing behavior over longer timescales or enabling flexible behavior routines dependent on the animal's internal state. Our results provide the first whole-brain confirmation that sensory, motor, and internal variables are encoded in a highly mixed fashion throughout the brain and demonstrate that de-mixing each of these components at the neuronal population level is critical to understanding the mechanisms underlying the brain's remarkable flexibility and robustness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jason Manley
- Laboratory of Neurotechnology and Biophysics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
- The Kavli Neural Systems Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Alipasha Vaziri
- Laboratory of Neurotechnology and Biophysics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
- The Kavli Neural Systems Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Wullimann MF, Mokayes N, Shainer I, Kuehn E, Baier H. Genoarchitectonics of the larval zebrafish diencephalon. J Comp Neurol 2024; 532:e25549. [PMID: 37983970 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25549] [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: 02/10/2023] [Revised: 07/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
The brain is spatially organized into subdivisions, nuclei and areas, which often correspond to functional and developmental units. A segmentation of brain regions in the form of a consensus atlas facilitates mechanistic studies and is a prerequisite for sharing information among neuroanatomists. Gene expression patterns objectively delineate boundaries between brain regions and provide information about their developmental and evolutionary histories. To generate a detailed molecular map of the larval zebrafish diencephalon, we took advantage of the Max Planck Zebrafish Brain (mapzebrain) atlas, which aligns hundreds of transcript and transgene expression patterns in a shared coordinate system. Inspection and co-visualization of close to 50 marker genes have allowed us to resolve the tripartite prosomeric scaffold of the diencephalon at unprecedented resolution. This approach clarified the genoarchitectonic partitioning of the alar diencephalon into pretectum (alar part of prosomere P1), thalamus (alar part of prosomere P2, with habenula and pineal complex), and prethalamus (alar part of prosomere P3). We further identified the region of the nucleus of the medial longitudinal fasciculus, as well as the posterior and anterior parts of the posterior tuberculum, as molecularly distinct basal parts of prosomeres 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Some of the markers examined allowed us to locate glutamatergic, GABAergic, dopaminergic, serotoninergic, and various neuropeptidergic domains in the larval zebrafish diencephalon. Our molecular neuroanatomical approach has thus (1) yielded an objective and internally consistent interpretation of the prosomere boundaries within the zebrafish forebrain; has (2) produced a list of markers, which in sparse combinations label the subdivisions of the diencephalon; and is (3) setting the stage for further functional and developmental studies in this vertebrate brain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mario F Wullimann
- Genes - Circuits - Behavior Max-Planck-Institute for Biological Intelligence, Martinsried, Germany
- Department Biology II, Division of Neurobiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU Munich), Martinsried, Germany
| | - Nouwar Mokayes
- Genes - Circuits - Behavior Max-Planck-Institute for Biological Intelligence, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Inbal Shainer
- Genes - Circuits - Behavior Max-Planck-Institute for Biological Intelligence, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Enrico Kuehn
- Genes - Circuits - Behavior Max-Planck-Institute for Biological Intelligence, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Herwig Baier
- Genes - Circuits - Behavior Max-Planck-Institute for Biological Intelligence, Martinsried, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Mulier L, Slabbinck H, Vermeir I. Face your fears: direct and indirect measurement of responses to looming threats. Cogn Emot 2024; 38:187-197. [PMID: 37731376 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2023.2258593] [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: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated the emotional and behavioural effects of looming threats using both recalled (self-reported valence) and real-time response measurements (facial expressions). The looming bias refers to the tendency to underestimate the time of arrival of rapidly approaching (looming) stimuli, providing additional time for defensive reactions. While previous research has shown negative emotional responses to looming threats based on self-reports after stimulus exposure, facial expressions offer valuable insights into emotional experiences and non-verbal behaviour during stimulus exposure. A face reading experiment examined responses to threats in motion, considering stimulus direction (looming versus receding motion) and threat strength (more versus less threatening stimuli). We also explored the added value of facial expression recognition compared to self-reported valence. Results indicated that looming threats elicit more negative facial expressions than receding threats, supporting previous findings on the looming bias. Further, more (vs. less) threatening stimuli evoked more negative facial expressions, but only when the threats were looming rather than receding. Interestingly, facial expressions of valence and self-reported valence showed opposing results, suggesting the importance of incorporating facial expression recognition to understand defensive responses to looming threats more comprehensively.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lana Mulier
- IESEG School of Management, Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 9221 - LEM - Lille Economie Management, Lille F-59000, France
| | - Hendrik Slabbinck
- Department of Marketing, Innovation, and Organisation, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Ghent University Ghent, Belgium
| | - Iris Vermeir
- Department of Marketing, Innovation, and Organisation, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Ghent University Ghent, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Park Y, Ji J, Kang H. Effect of a looming visual cue on situation awareness and perceived urgency in response to a takeover request. Heliyon 2024; 10:e23053. [PMID: 38173484 PMCID: PMC10761363 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the effect of a looming visual cue on situation awareness and perceived urgency in response to a takeover request (TOR), and to explore the underlying mechanisms of this effect through three experiments. In Experiment 1, the optimal size and speed of a red disk were determined, which were effective in capturing looming motion and conveying the urgency of the situation. The results indicated that both looming speed and size ratio had significant effects on situation awareness and perceived urgency. In Experiment 2, the effects of looming stimuli were compared with dimming stimuli, and the results showed that the looming visual cue was more effective in promoting perceived urgency and situation awareness. The results also indicated that the looming visual cue attracted more visual attention than the dimming visual cue, in line with previous studies. Experiment 3 utilized a driving simulator to test the effectiveness of the looming visual cue in promoting fast and appropriate responses to TORs in complex driving scenarios. The results showed that the looming visual cue was more effective in promoting perceived urgency and enhancing situation awareness, especially in highly complex driving situations. Overall, the findings suggest that the looming visual cue is a powerful tool for promoting fast and appropriate responses to TORs and enhancing situation awareness, particularly in complex driving scenarios. These results have important implications for designing effective TOR systems and improving driver safety on the road.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- YounJung Park
- Global Convergence Content Research Center, Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea
| | - Jeayeong Ji
- Samsung Electronics, South Korea
- Stanford Center at the Incheon Global Campus, Stanford University, South Korea
| | - Hyunmin Kang
- Stanford Center at the Incheon Global Campus, Stanford University, South Korea
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Zhao J, Xie Q, Shuang F, Yue S. An Angular Acceleration Based Looming Detector for Moving UAVs. Biomimetics (Basel) 2024; 9:22. [PMID: 38248596 PMCID: PMC11154257 DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics9010022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Visual perception equips unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with increasingly comprehensive and instant environmental perception, rendering it a crucial technology in intelligent UAV obstacle avoidance. However, the rapid movements of UAVs cause significant changes in the field of view, affecting the algorithms' ability to extract the visual features of collisions accurately. As a result, algorithms suffer from a high rate of false alarms and a delay in warning time. During the study of visual field angle curves of different orders, it was found that the peak times of the curves of higher-order information on the angular size of looming objects are linearly related to the time to collision (TTC) and occur before collisions. This discovery implies that encoding higher-order information on the angular size could resolve the issue of response lag. Furthermore, the fact that the image of a looming object adjusts to meet several looming visual cues compared to the background interference implies that integrating various field-of-view characteristics will likely enhance the model's resistance to motion interference. Therefore, this paper presents a concise A-LGMD model for detecting looming objects. The model is based on image angular acceleration and addresses problems related to imprecise feature extraction and insufficient time series modeling to enhance the model's ability to rapidly and precisely detect looming objects during the rapid self-motion of UAVs. The model draws inspiration from the lobula giant movement detector (LGMD), which shows high sensitivity to acceleration information. In the proposed model, higher-order information on the angular size is abstracted by the network and fused with multiple visual field angle characteristics to promote the selective response to looming objects. Experiments carried out on synthetic and real-world datasets reveal that the model can efficiently detect the angular acceleration of an image, filter out insignificant background motion, and provide early warnings. These findings indicate that the model could have significant potential in embedded collision detection systems of micro or small UAVs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiannan Zhao
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Intelligent Control and Maintenance of Power Equipment, School of Electrical Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China; (J.Z.); (Q.X.)
| | - Quansheng Xie
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Intelligent Control and Maintenance of Power Equipment, School of Electrical Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China; (J.Z.); (Q.X.)
| | - Feng Shuang
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Intelligent Control and Maintenance of Power Equipment, School of Electrical Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China; (J.Z.); (Q.X.)
| | - Shigang Yue
- School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK;
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Bufacchi RJ, Battaglia-Mayer A, Iannetti GD, Caminiti R. Cortico-spinal modularity in the parieto-frontal system: A new perspective on action control. Prog Neurobiol 2023; 231:102537. [PMID: 37832714 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2023.102537] [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: 04/02/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023]
Abstract
Classical neurophysiology suggests that the motor cortex (MI) has a unique role in action control. In contrast, this review presents evidence for multiple parieto-frontal spinal command modules that can bypass MI. Five observations support this modular perspective: (i) the statistics of cortical connectivity demonstrate functionally-related clusters of cortical areas, defining functional modules in the premotor, cingulate, and parietal cortices; (ii) different corticospinal pathways originate from the above areas, each with a distinct range of conduction velocities; (iii) the activation time of each module varies depending on task, and different modules can be activated simultaneously; (iv) a modular architecture with direct motor output is faster and less metabolically expensive than an architecture that relies on MI, given the slow connections between MI and other cortical areas; (v) lesions of the areas composing parieto-frontal modules have different effects from lesions of MI. Here we provide examples of six cortico-spinal modules and functions they subserve: module 1) arm reaching, tool use and object construction; module 2) spatial navigation and locomotion; module 3) grasping and observation of hand and mouth actions; module 4) action initiation, motor sequences, time encoding; module 5) conditional motor association and learning, action plan switching and action inhibition; module 6) planning defensive actions. These modules can serve as a library of tools to be recombined when faced with novel tasks, and MI might serve as a recombinatory hub. In conclusion, the availability of locally-stored information and multiple outflow paths supports the physiological plausibility of the proposed modular perspective.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- R J Bufacchi
- Neuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy; International Center for Primate Brain Research (ICPBR), Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology (CEBSIT), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shanghai, China
| | - A Battaglia-Mayer
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Rome, Sapienza, Italy
| | - G D Iannetti
- Neuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy; Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London (UCL), London, UK
| | - R Caminiti
- Neuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Ali MA, Lischka K, Preuss SJ, Trivedi CA, Bollmann JH. A synaptic corollary discharge signal suppresses midbrain visual processing during saccade-like locomotion. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7592. [PMID: 37996414 PMCID: PMC10667368 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43255-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
In motor control, the brain not only sends motor commands to the periphery, but also generates concurrent internal signals known as corollary discharge (CD) that influence sensory information processing around the time of movement. CD signals are important for identifying sensory input arising from self-motion and to compensate for it, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Using whole-cell patch clamp recordings from neurons in the zebrafish optic tectum, we discovered an inhibitory synaptic signal, temporally locked to spontaneous and visually driven locomotion. This motor-related inhibition was appropriately timed to counteract visually driven excitatory input arising from the fish's own motion, and transiently suppressed tectal spiking activity. High-resolution calcium imaging revealed localized motor-related signals in the tectal neuropil and the upstream torus longitudinalis, suggesting that CD enters the tectum via this pathway. Together, our results show how visual processing is suppressed during self-motion by motor-related phasic inhibition. This may help explain perceptual saccadic suppression observed in many species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mir Ahsan Ali
- Developmental Biology, Institute of Biology I, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, 79104, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Lischka
- Developmental Biology, Institute of Biology I, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, 79104, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Stephanie J Preuss
- Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
- Springer Nature Group, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Chintan A Trivedi
- Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
- Dept Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Johann H Bollmann
- Developmental Biology, Institute of Biology I, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, 79104, Freiburg, Germany.
- Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
- Bernstein Center Freiburg, University of Freiburg, 79104, Freiburg, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
How MJ, Robertson A, Smithers SP, Wilby D. Polarization vision in terrestrial hermit crabs. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2023; 209:899-905. [PMID: 37043013 PMCID: PMC10643299 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-023-01631-z] [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: 09/03/2022] [Revised: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/13/2023]
Abstract
Polarization vision is used by a wide range of animals for navigating, orienting, and detecting objects or areas of interest. Shallow marine and semi-terrestrial crustaceans are particularly well known for their abilities to detect predator-like or conspecific-like objects based on their polarization properties. On land, some terrestrial invertebrates use polarization vision for detecting suitable habitats, oviposition sites or conspecifics, but examples of threat detection in the polarization domain are less well known. To test whether this also applies to crustaceans that have evolved to occupy terrestrial habitats, we determined the sensitivity of two species of land and one species of marine hermit crab to predator-like visual stimuli varying in the degree of polarization. All three species showed an ability to detect these cues based on polarization contrasts alone. One terrestrial species, Coenobita rugosus, showed an increased sensitivity to objects with a higher degree of polarization than the background. This is the inverse of most animals studied to date, suggesting that the ecological drivers for polarization vision may be different in the terrestrial environment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martin J How
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
| | | | - Samuel P Smithers
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David Wilby
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Research Software Engineering Team, Department of Computer Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Dewell RB, Carroll-Mikhail T, Eisenbrandt MR, Mendoza AF, Halder B, Preuss T, Gabbiani F. Convergent escape behaviour from distinct visual processing of impending collision in fish and grasshoppers. J Physiol 2023; 601:4355-4373. [PMID: 37671925 PMCID: PMC10595048 DOI: 10.1113/jp284022] [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: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
In animal species ranging from invertebrate to mammals, visually guided escape behaviours have been studied using looming stimuli, the two-dimensional expanding projection on a screen of an object approaching on a collision course at constant speed. The peak firing rate or membrane potential of neurons responding to looming stimuli often tracks a fixed threshold angular size of the approaching stimulus that contributes to the triggering of escape behaviours. To study whether this result holds more generally, we designed stimuli that simulate acceleration or deceleration over the course of object approach on a collision course. Under these conditions, we found that the angular threshold conveyed by collision detecting neurons in grasshoppers was sensitive to acceleration whereas the triggering of escape behaviours was less so. In contrast, neurons in goldfish identified through the characteristic features of the escape behaviours they trigger, showed little sensitivity to acceleration. This closely mirrored a broader lack of sensitivity to acceleration of the goldfish escape behaviour. Thus, although the sensory coding of simulated colliding stimuli with non-zero acceleration probably differs in grasshoppers and goldfish, the triggering of escape behaviours converges towards similar characteristics. Approaching stimuli with non-zero acceleration may help refine our understanding of neural computations underlying escape behaviours in a broad range of animal species. KEY POINTS: A companion manuscript showed that two mathematical models of collision-detecting neurons in grasshoppers and goldfish make distinct predictions for the timing of their responses to simulated objects approaching on a collision course with non-zero acceleration. Testing these experimental predictions showed that grasshopper neurons are sensitive to acceleration while goldfish neurons are not, in agreement with the distinct models proposed previously in these species using constant velocity approaches. Grasshopper and goldfish escape behaviours occurred after the stimulus reached a fixed angular size insensitive to acceleration, suggesting further downstream processing in grasshopper motor circuits to match what was observed in goldfish. Thus, in spite of different sensory processing in the two species, escape behaviours converge towards similar solutions. The use of object acceleration during approach on a collision course may help better understand the neural computations implemented for collision avoidance in a broad range of species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Richard B Dewell
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Terri Carroll-Mikhail
- Hunter College and the Graduate Center, The City University of New York, New York, USA
| | | | | | - Bidisha Halder
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Thomas Preuss
- Hunter College and the Graduate Center, The City University of New York, New York, USA
| | - Fabrizio Gabbiani
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Lee H, Shams S, Dang Thi VH, Boyum G, Modhurima R, Hall E, Green I, Cervantes E, Miguez F, Clark K. The canonical HPA axis facilitates and maintains light adaptive behavior. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-3240080. [PMID: 37720015 PMCID: PMC10503838 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3240080/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
The vertebrate stress response (SR) is mediated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and contributes to generating context appropriate physiological and behavioral changes. Although the HPA axis plays vital roles both in stressful and basal conditions, research has focused on the response under stress. To understand broader roles of the HPA axis in a changing environment, we characterized an adaptive behavior of larval zebrafish during ambient illumination changes. The glucocorticoid receptor (nr3c1) was necessary to maintain basal locomotor activity in light and darkness. The HPA axis was required to adapt to light more efficiently but became dispensable when longer illumination was provided. Light adaptation was more efficient in dimmer light and did not require the mineralocorticoid receptor (nr3c2). Our findings show that the HPA axis contributes to the SR at various stages, facilitating the phasic response and maintaining an adapted basal state, and that certain adaptations occur without HPA axis activity.
Collapse
|
21
|
Yin Z, Kaiser MAA, Camara LO, Camarena M, Parsa M, Jacob A, Schwartz G, Jaiswal A. IRIS: Integrated Retinal Functionality in Image Sensors. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1241691. [PMID: 37719155 PMCID: PMC10502419 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1241691] [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] [Received: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuromorphic image sensors draw inspiration from the biological retina to implement visual computations in electronic hardware. Gain control in phototransduction and temporal differentiation at the first retinal synapse inspired the first generation of neuromorphic sensors, but processing in downstream retinal circuits, much of which has been discovered in the past decade, has not been implemented in image sensor technology. We present a technology-circuit co-design solution that implements two motion computations-object motion sensitivity and looming detection-at the retina's output that could have wide applications for vision-based decision-making in dynamic environments. Our simulations on Globalfoundries 22 nm technology node show that the proposed retina-inspired circuits can be fabricated on image sensing platforms in existing semiconductor foundries by taking advantage of the recent advances in semiconductor chip stacking technology. Integrated Retinal Functionality in Image Sensors (IRIS) technology could drive advances in machine vision applications that demand energy-efficient and low-bandwidth real-time decision-making.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zihan Yin
- Information Sciences Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Md Abdullah-Al Kaiser
- Information Sciences Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | | | - Mark Camarena
- Information Sciences Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Maryam Parsa
- Electrical and Computer Engineering, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, United States
| | - Ajey Jacob
- Information Sciences Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Gregory Schwartz
- Department of Ophthalmology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
| | - Akhilesh Jaiswal
- Information Sciences Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Cook A, Beckmann H, Azap R, Ryu S. Acute Stress Modulates Social Approach and Social Maintenance in Adult Zebrafish. eNeuro 2023; 10:ENEURO.0491-22.2023. [PMID: 37620148 PMCID: PMC10493981 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0491-22.2023] [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: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Stress alters social functioning in a complex manner. An important variable determining the final effects of stress is stressor intensity. However, the precise relationship between stressor intensity and social behavior is not well understood. Here, we investigate the effects of varying acute stressor intensity exposure on social behavior using adult zebrafish. We first establish a novel test using adult zebrafish that allows distinguishing fish's drive to approach a social cue and its ability to engage and maintain social interaction within the same behavioral paradigm. Next, we combined this test with a new method to deliver an acute stress stimulus of varying intensities. Our results show that both social approach and social maintenance are reduced in adult zebrafish on acute stress exposure in an intensity-dependent manner. Interestingly, lower stress intensity reduces social maintenance without affecting the social approach, while a higher stress level is required to alter social approach. These results provide evidence for a direct correlation between acute stressor intensity and social functioning and suggest that distinct steps in social behavior are modulated differentially by the acute stress level.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Cook
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55116, Mainz, Germany
| | - Holger Beckmann
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55116, Mainz, Germany
- Living Systems Institute, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4QD, United Kingdom
| | - Rutkay Azap
- Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Soojin Ryu
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55116, Mainz, Germany
- Living Systems Institute, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4QD, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Li C, Kühn NK, Alkislar I, Sans-Dublanc A, Zemmouri F, Paesmans S, Calzoni A, Ooms F, Reinhard K, Farrow K. Pathway-specific inputs to the superior colliculus support flexible responses to visual threat. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eade3874. [PMID: 37647395 PMCID: PMC10468139 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ade3874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral flexibility requires directing feedforward sensory information to appropriate targets. In the superior colliculus, divergent outputs orchestrate different responses to visual threats, but the circuit organization enabling the flexible routing of sensory information remains unknown. To determine this structure, we focused on inhibitory projection (Gad2) neurons. Trans-synaptic tracing and neuronal recordings revealed that Gad2 neurons projecting to the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) and the parabigeminal nucleus (PBG) form two separate populations, each receiving a different set of non-retinal inputs. Inhibiting the LGN- or PBG-projecting Gad2 neurons resulted in opposing effects on behavior; increasing freezing or escape probability to visual looming, respectively. Optogenetic activation of selected inputs to the LGN- and PBG-projecting Gad2 cells predictably regulated responses to visual threat. These data suggest that projection-specific sampling of brain-wide inputs provides a circuit design principle that enables visual inputs to be selectively routed to produce context-specific behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chen Li
- Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Norma K. Kühn
- Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ilayda Alkislar
- Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
- Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Arnau Sans-Dublanc
- Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Firdaouss Zemmouri
- Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical, and Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Soraya Paesmans
- Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Alex Calzoni
- Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Frédérique Ooms
- Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
- Imec, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Katja Reinhard
- Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Karl Farrow
- Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Imec, Leuven, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Zhao J, Song Q, Wu Y, Yang L. Advances in neural circuits of innate fear defense behavior. Zhejiang Da Xue Xue Bao Yi Xue Ban 2023; 52:653-661. [PMID: 37899403 PMCID: PMC10630063 DOI: 10.3724/zdxbyxb-2023-0131] [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: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
Fear, a negative emotion triggered by dangerous stimuli, can lead to psychiatric disorders such as phobias, anxiety disorders, and depression. Investigating the neural circuitry underlying congenital fear can offer insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms of related psychiatric conditions. Research on innate fear primarily centers on the response mechanisms to various sensory signals, including olfactory, visual and auditory stimuli. Different types of fear signal inputs are regulated by distinct neural circuits. The neural circuits of the main and accessory olfactory systems receive and process olfactory stimuli, mediating defensive responses like freezing. Escape behaviors elicited by visual stimuli are primarily regulated through the superior colliculus and hypothalamic projection circuits. Auditory stimuli-induced responses, including escape, are mainly mediated through auditory cortex projection circuits. In this article, we review the research progress on neural circuits of innate fear defensive behaviors in animals. We further discuss the different sensory systems, especially the projection circuits of olfactory, visual and auditory systems, to provide references for the mechanistic study of related mental disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiajia Zhao
- Henan University of Chinese Medicine School of Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, China.
| | - Qi Song
- Henan University of Chinese Medicine School of Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, China
| | - Yongye Wu
- Henan University of Chinese Medicine School of Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, China
| | - Liping Yang
- Henan University of Chinese Medicine School of Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, China.
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Pluimer BR, Harrison DL, Boonyavairoje C, Prinssen EP, Rogers-Evans M, Peterson RT, Thyme SB, Nath AK. Behavioral analysis through the lifespan of disc1 mutant zebrafish identifies defects in sensorimotor transformation. iScience 2023; 26:107099. [PMID: 37416451 PMCID: PMC10320522 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
DISC1 is a genetic risk factor for multiple psychiatric disorders. Compared to the dozens of murine Disc1 models, there is a paucity of zebrafish disc1 models-an organism amenable to high-throughput experimentation. We conducted the longitudinal neurobehavioral analysis of disc1 mutant zebrafish across key stages of life. During early developmental stages, disc1 mutants exhibited abrogated behavioral responses to sensory stimuli across multiple testing platforms. Moreover, during exposure to an acoustic sensory stimulus, loss of disc1 resulted in the abnormal activation of neurons in the pallium, cerebellum, and tectum-anatomical sites involved in the integration of sensory perception and motor control. In adulthood, disc1 mutants exhibited sexually dimorphic reduction in anxiogenic behavior in novel paradigms. Together, these findings implicate disc1 in sensorimotor processes and the genesis of anxiogenic behaviors, which could be exploited for the development of novel treatments in addition to investigating the biology of sensorimotor transformation in the context of disc1 deletion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brock R. Pluimer
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Devin L. Harrison
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Chanon Boonyavairoje
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Eric P. Prinssen
- Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Mark Rogers-Evans
- Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Randall T. Peterson
- Deparment of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Summer B. Thyme
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Anjali K. Nath
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Baier F, Reinhard K, Tong V, Murmann J, Farrow K, Hoekstra HE. The neural basis of defensive behaviour evolution in Peromyscus mice. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.07.04.547734. [PMID: 37461474 PMCID: PMC10350006 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.04.547734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Evading imminent predator threat is critical for survival. Effective defensive strategies can vary, even between closely related species. However, the neural basis of such species-specific behaviours is still poorly understood. Here we find that two sister species of deer mice (genus Peromyscus) show different responses to the same looming stimulus: P. maniculatus, which occupy densely vegetated habitats, predominantly dart to escape, while the open field specialist, P. polionotus, pause their movement. This difference arises from species-specific escape thresholds, is largely context-independent, and can be triggered by both visual and auditory threat stimuli. Using immunohistochemistry and electrophysiological recordings, we find that although visual threat activates the superior colliculus in both species, the role of the dorsal periaqueductal gray (dPAG) in driving behaviour differs. While dPAG activity scales with running speed and involves both excitatory and inhibitory neurons in P. maniculatus, the dPAG is largely silent in P. polionotus, even when darting is triggered. Moreover, optogenetic activation of excitatory dPAG neurons reliably elicits darting behaviour in P. maniculatus but not P. polionotus. Together, we trace the evolution of species-specific escape thresholds to a central circuit node, downstream of peripheral sensory neurons, localizing an ecologically relevant behavioural difference to a specific region of the complex mammalian brain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Felix Baier
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Center for Brain Science, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Present address: Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Katja Reinhard
- Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Present address: Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati, Trieste, Italy
| | - Victoria Tong
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Center for Brain Science, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Julie Murmann
- Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, Leuven, Belgium
- Present address: Institute of Science & Technology Austria, Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Karl Farrow
- Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- VIB, Leuven, Belgium
- imec, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Hopi E. Hoekstra
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Center for Brain Science, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Nicholas S, Ogawa Y, Nordström K. Dual Receptive Fields Underlying Target and Wide-Field Motion Sensitivity in Looming-Sensitive Descending Neurons. eNeuro 2023; 10:ENEURO.0188-23.2023. [PMID: 37429705 PMCID: PMC10368147 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0188-23.2023] [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: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Responding rapidly to visual stimuli is fundamental for many animals. For example, predatory birds and insects alike have amazing target detection abilities, with incredibly short neural and behavioral delays, enabling efficient prey capture. Similarly, looming objects need to be rapidly avoided to ensure immediate survival, as these could represent approaching predators. Male Eristalis tenax hoverflies are nonpredatory, highly territorial insects that perform high-speed pursuits of conspecifics and other territorial intruders. During the initial stages of the pursuit, the retinal projection of the target is very small, but this grows to a larger object before physical interaction. Supporting such behaviors, E. tenax and other insects have both target-tuned and loom-sensitive neurons in the optic lobes and the descending pathways. We here show that these visual stimuli are not necessarily encoded in parallel. Indeed, we describe a class of descending neurons that respond to small targets, to looming and to wide-field stimuli. We show that these descending neurons have two distinct receptive fields where the dorsal receptive field is sensitive to the motion of small targets and the ventral receptive field responds to larger objects or wide-field stimuli. Our data suggest that the two receptive fields have different presynaptic input, where the inputs are not linearly summed. This novel and unique arrangement could support different behaviors, including obstacle avoidance, flower landing, and target pursuit or capture.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Nicholas
- Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, Flinders University, Adelaide 5001, Australia
| | - Yuri Ogawa
- Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, Flinders University, Adelaide 5001, Australia
| | - Karin Nordström
- Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, Flinders University, Adelaide 5001, Australia
- Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, 75123 Uppsala, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Wu Q, Zhang Y. Neural Circuit Mechanisms Involved in Animals' Detection of and Response to Visual Threats. Neurosci Bull 2023; 39:994-1008. [PMID: 36694085 PMCID: PMC10264346 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-023-01021-0] [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: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Evading or escaping from predators is one of the most crucial issues for survival across the animal kingdom. The timely detection of predators and the initiation of appropriate fight-or-flight responses are innate capabilities of the nervous system. Here we review recent progress in our understanding of innate visually-triggered defensive behaviors and the underlying neural circuit mechanisms, and a comparison among vinegar flies, zebrafish, and mice is included. This overview covers the anatomical and functional aspects of the neural circuits involved in this process, including visual threat processing and identification, the selection of appropriate behavioral responses, and the initiation of these innate defensive behaviors. The emphasis of this review is on the early stages of this pathway, namely, threat identification from complex visual inputs and how behavioral choices are influenced by differences in visual threats. We also briefly cover how the innate defensive response is processed centrally. Based on these summaries, we discuss coding strategies for visual threats and propose a common prototypical pathway for rapid innate defensive responses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qiwen Wu
- Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yifeng Zhang
- Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China.
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Jay M, MacIver MA, McLean DL. Spinal Basis of Direction Control during Locomotion in Larval Zebrafish. J Neurosci 2023; 43:4062-4074. [PMID: 37127363 PMCID: PMC10255127 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0703-22.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Navigation requires steering and propulsion, but how spinal circuits contribute to direction control during ongoing locomotion is not well understood. Here, we use drifting vertical gratings to evoke directed "fictive" swimming in intact but immobilized larval zebrafish while performing electrophysiological recordings from spinal neurons. We find that directed swimming involves unilateral changes in the duration of motor output and increased recruitment of motor neurons, without impacting the timing of spiking across or along the body. Voltage-clamp recordings from motor neurons reveal increases in phasic excitation and inhibition on the side of the turn. Current-clamp recordings from premotor interneurons that provide phasic excitation or inhibition reveal two types of recruitment patterns. A direction-agnostic pattern with balanced recruitment on the turning and nonturning sides is primarily observed in excitatory V2a neurons with ipsilateral descending axons, while a direction-sensitive pattern with preferential recruitment on the turning side is dominated by V2a neurons with ipsilateral bifurcating axons. Inhibitory V1 neurons are also divided into direction-sensitive and direction-agnostic subsets, although there is no detectable morphologic distinction. Our findings support the modular control of steering and propulsion by spinal premotor circuits, where recruitment of distinct subsets of excitatory and inhibitory interneurons provide adjustments in direction while on the move.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Spinal circuits play an essential role in coordinating movements during locomotion. However, it is unclear how they participate in adjustments in direction that do not interfere with coordination. Here we have developed a system using larval zebrafish that allows us to directly record electrical signals from spinal neurons during "fictive" swimming guided by visual cues. We find there are subsets of spinal interneurons for coordination and others that drive unilateral asymmetries in motor neuron recruitment for direction control. Our findings suggest a modular organization of spinal premotor circuits that enables uninterrupted adjustments in direction during ongoing locomotion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Jay
- Department of Neurobiology, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208
| | - Malcolm A MacIver
- Department of Neurobiology, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208
| | - David L McLean
- Department of Neurobiology, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Robledo-Ospina LE, Morehouse N, Escobar F, Tapia-McClung H, Narendra A, Rao D. Visual antipredator effects of web flexing in an orb web spider, with special reference to web decorations. THE SCIENCE OF NATURE - NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN 2023; 110:23. [PMID: 37219696 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-023-01849-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Some visual antipredator strategies involve the rapid movement of highly contrasting body patterns to frighten or confuse the predator. Bright body colouration, however, can also be detected by potential predators and used as a cue. Among spiders, Argiope spp. are usually brightly coloured but they are not a common item in the diet of araneophagic wasps. When disturbed, Argiope executes a web-flexing behaviour in which they move rapidly and may be perceived as if they move backwards and towards an observer in front of the web. We studied the mechanisms underlying web-flexing behaviour as a defensive strategy. Using multispectral images and high-speed videos with deep-learning-based tracking techniques, we evaluated body colouration, body pattern, and spider kinematics from the perspective of a potential wasp predator. We show that the spider's abdomen is conspicuous, with a disruptive colouration pattern. We found that the body outline of spiders with web decorations was harder to detect when compared to spiders without decorations. The abdomen was also the body part that moved fastest, and its motion was composed mainly of translational (vertical) vectors in the potential predator's optical flow. In addition, with high contrast colouration, the spider's movement might be perceived as a sudden change in body size (looming effect) as perceived by the predator. These effects alongside the other visual cues may confuse potential wasp predators by breaking the spider body outline and affecting the wasp's flight manoeuvre, thereby deterring the wasp from executing the final attack.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luis E Robledo-Ospina
- Red de Ecoetología, Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Xalapa, Veracruz, México
- Instituto de Biotecnología y Ecología Aplicada, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Veracruz, México
| | - Nathan Morehouse
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Federico Escobar
- Red de Ecoetología, Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Xalapa, Veracruz, México
| | - Horacio Tapia-McClung
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Inteligencia Artificial, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Veracruz, México
| | - Ajay Narendra
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Dinesh Rao
- Instituto de Biotecnología y Ecología Aplicada, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Veracruz, México.
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Farnsworth KD, Elwood RW. Why it hurts: with freedom comes the biological need for pain. Anim Cogn 2023:10.1007/s10071-023-01773-2. [PMID: 37029847 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01773-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/09/2023]
Abstract
We argue that pain is not needed to protect the body from damage unless the organism is able to make free choices in action selection. Then pain (including its affective and evaluative aspects) provides a necessary prioritising motivation to select actions expected to avoid it, whilst leaving the possibility of alternative actions to serve potentially higher priorities. Thus, on adaptive grounds, only organisms having free choice over action selection should experience pain. Free choice implies actions must be selected following appraisal of their effects, requiring a predictive model generating estimates of action outcomes. These features give organisms anticipatory behavioural autonomy (ABA), for which we propose a plausible system using an internal predictive model, integrated into a system able to produce the qualitative and affective aspects of pain. Our hypothesis can be tested using behavioural experiments designed to elicit trade-off responses to novel experiences for which algorithmic (automaton) responses might be inappropriate. We discuss the empirical evidence for our hypothesis among taxonomic groups, showing how testing for ABA guides thinking on which groups might experience pain. It is likely that all vertebrates do and plausible that some invertebrates do (decapods, cephalopods and at least some insects).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Keith D Farnsworth
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT95DL, UK.
| | - Robert W Elwood
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT95DL, UK
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Fahimipour AK, Gil MA, Celis MR, Hein GF, Martin BT, Hein AM. Wild animals suppress the spread of socially transmitted misinformation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2215428120. [PMID: 36976767 PMCID: PMC10083541 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2215428120] [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: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms by which information and misinformation spread through groups of individual actors is essential to the prediction of phenomena ranging from coordinated group behaviors to misinformation epidemics. Transmission of information through groups depends on the rules that individuals use to transform the perceived actions of others into their own behaviors. Because it is often not possible to directly infer decision-making strategies in situ, most studies of behavioral spread assume that individuals make decisions by pooling or averaging the actions or behavioral states of neighbors. However, whether individuals may instead adopt more sophisticated strategies that exploit socially transmitted information, while remaining robust to misinformation, is unknown. Here, we study the relationship between individual decision-making and misinformation spread in groups of wild coral reef fish, where misinformation occurs in the form of false alarms that can spread contagiously through groups. Using automated visual field reconstruction of wild animals, we infer the precise sequences of socially transmitted visual stimuli perceived by individuals during decision-making. Our analysis reveals a feature of decision-making essential for controlling misinformation spread: dynamic adjustments in sensitivity to socially transmitted cues. This form of dynamic gain control can be achieved by a simple and biologically widespread decision-making circuit, and it renders individual behavior robust to natural fluctuations in misinformation exposure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ashkaan K. Fahimipour
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL33431
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA95060
| | - Michael A. Gil
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO80309
| | - Maria Rosa Celis
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA95060
| | | | - Benjamin T. Martin
- Institute for Biodiversity & Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, 1090GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Andrew M. Hein
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY14850
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Han C, Guo M, Ke X, Zeng L, Li M, Haihambo N, Lu J, Wang L, Wei P. Oscillatory biomarkers of autism: evidence from the innate visual fear evoking paradigm. Cogn Neurodyn 2023; 17:459-466. [PMID: 37007195 PMCID: PMC10050250 DOI: 10.1007/s11571-022-09839-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with multiple associated deficits in both social and cognitive functioning. Diagnosing ASD usually relies on subjective clinical competencies, and research on objective criteria for diagnosing ASD in the early stage is still in its infancy. A recent animal study showed that the looming-evoked defensive response was impaired in mice with ASD, but whether the effect will be observed in human and contribute to finding a robust clinical neural biomarker remain unclear. Here, to investigate the looming-evoked defense response in humans, electroencephalogram responses toward looming and corresponding control stimuli (far and missing type) were recorded in children with ASD and typical developed (TD) children. Results revealed that alpha-band activity in the posterior brain region was strongly suppressed after looming stimuli in the TD group, but remained unchanged in the ASD group. This method could be a novel, objective way to detect ASD earlier. These findings suggest that further investigation of the neural mechanism underlying innate fear from the oscillatory view could be a helpful direction in the future. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11571-022-09839-6.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chuanliang Han
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen–Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055 China
| | - Mingrou Guo
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen–Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055 China
| | - Xiaoyin Ke
- Department of Child Psychiatry, Shenzhen Kangning Hospital, Shenzhen Mental Health Center, Shenzhen, China
| | - Lanting Zeng
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen–Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055 China
| | - Meijia Li
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Naem Haihambo
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Jianping Lu
- Department of Child Psychiatry, Shenzhen Kangning Hospital, Shenzhen Mental Health Center, Shenzhen, China
| | - Liping Wang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen–Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055 China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049 China
| | - Pengfei Wei
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen–Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055 China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049 China
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Gabbiani F, Preuss T, Dewell RB. Approaching object acceleration differentially affects the predictions of neuronal collision avoidance models. BIOLOGICAL CYBERNETICS 2023; 117:129-142. [PMID: 37029831 DOI: 10.1007/s00422-023-00961-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
The processing of visual information for collision avoidance has been investigated at the biophysical level in several model systems. In grasshoppers, the (so-called) [Formula: see text] model captures reasonably well the visual processing performed by an identified neuron called the lobular giant movement detector as it tracks approaching objects. Similar phenomenological models have been used to describe either the firing rate or the membrane potential of neurons responsible for visually guided collision avoidance in other animals. Specifically, in goldfish, the [Formula: see text] model has been proposed to describe the Mauthner cell, an identified neuron involved in startle escape responses. In the vinegar fly, a third model was developed for the giant fiber neuron, which triggers last resort escapes immediately before an impending collision. One key property of these models is their prediction that peak neuronal responses occur at a fixed delay after the simulated approaching object reaches a threshold angular size on the retina. This prediction is valid for simulated objects approaching at a constant speed. We tested whether it remains valid when approaching objects accelerate. After characterizing and comparing the models' responses to accelerating and constant speed stimuli, we find that the prediction holds true for the [Formula: see text] and the giant fiber model, but not for the [Formula: see text] model. These results suggest that acceleration in the approach trajectory of an object may help distinguish and further constrain the neuronal computations required for collision avoidance in grasshoppers, fish and vinegar flies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fabrizio Gabbiani
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plz, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
| | - Thomas Preuss
- Department Psychology, Hunter College and the Graduate Center, The City University of New York, 695 Park Ave, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Richard B Dewell
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plz, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Fotowat H, Engert F. Neural circuits underlying habituation of visually evoked escape behaviors in larval zebrafish. eLife 2023; 12:82916. [PMID: 36916795 PMCID: PMC10014075 DOI: 10.7554/elife.82916] [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: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Larval zebrafish that are exposed repeatedly to dark looming stimuli will quickly habituate to these aversive signals and cease to respond with their stereotypical escape swims. A dark looming stimulus can be separated into two independent components: one that is characterized by an overall spatial expansion, where overall luminance is maintained at the same level, and a second, that represents an overall dimming within the whole visual field in the absence of any motion energy. Using specific stimulation patterns that isolate these independent components, we first extracted the behavioral algorithms that dictate how these separate information channels interact with each other and across the two eyes during the habituation process. Concurrent brain wide imaging experiments then permitted the construction of circuit models that suggest the existence of two separate neural pathways. The first is a looming channel which responds specifically to expanding edges presented to the contralateral eye and relays that information to the brain stem escape network to generate directed escapes. The second is a dimming-specific channel that could be either monocular or binocularly responsive, and that appears to specifically inhibit escape response when activated. We propose that this second channel is under strong contextual modulation and that it is primarily responsible for the incremental silencing of successive dark looming-evoked escapes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haleh Fotowat
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard UniversityBostonUnited States
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
| | - Florian Engert
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Shainer I, Kuehn E, Laurell E, Al Kassar M, Mokayes N, Sherman S, Larsch J, Kunst M, Baier H. A single-cell resolution gene expression atlas of the larval zebrafish brain. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eade9909. [PMID: 36812331 PMCID: PMC9946346 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ade9909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The advent of multimodal brain atlases promises to accelerate progress in neuroscience by allowing in silico queries of neuron morphology, connectivity, and gene expression. We used multiplexed fluorescent in situ RNA hybridization chain reaction (HCR) technology to generate expression maps across the larval zebrafish brain for a growing set of marker genes. The data were registered to the Max Planck Zebrafish Brain (mapzebrain) atlas, thus allowing covisualization of gene expression, single-neuron tracings, and expertly curated anatomical segmentations. Using post hoc HCR labeling of the immediate early gene cfos, we mapped responses to prey stimuli and food ingestion across the brain of freely swimming larvae. This unbiased approach revealed, in addition to previously described visual and motor areas, a cluster of neurons in the secondary gustatory nucleus, which express the marker calb2a, as well as a specific neuropeptide Y receptor, and project to the hypothalamus. This discovery exemplifies the power of this new atlas resource for zebrafish neurobiology.
Collapse
|
37
|
An optofluidic platform for interrogating chemosensory behavior and brainwide neural representation in larval zebrafish. Nat Commun 2023; 14:227. [PMID: 36641479 PMCID: PMC9840631 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-35836-2] [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] [Received: 02/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Studying chemosensory processing desires precise chemical cue presentation, behavioral response monitoring, and large-scale neuronal activity recording. Here we present Fish-on-Chips, a set of optofluidic tools for highly-controlled chemical delivery while simultaneously imaging behavioral outputs and whole-brain neuronal activities at cellular resolution in larval zebrafish. These include a fluidics-based swimming arena and an integrated microfluidics-light sheet fluorescence microscopy (µfluidics-LSFM) system, both of which utilize laminar fluid flows to achieve spatiotemporally precise chemical cue presentation. To demonstrate the strengths of the platform, we used the navigation arena to reveal binasal input-dependent behavioral strategies that larval zebrafish adopt to evade cadaverine, a death-associated odor. The µfluidics-LSFM system enables sequential presentation of odor stimuli to individual or both nasal cavities separated by only ~100 µm. This allowed us to uncover brainwide neural representations of cadaverine sensing and binasal input summation in the vertebrate model. Fish-on-Chips is readily generalizable and will empower the investigation of neural coding in the chemical senses.
Collapse
|
38
|
Assaying Optic Nerve Regeneration in Larval Zebrafish. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2636:191-203. [PMID: 36881301 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3012-9_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/08/2023]
Abstract
Zebrafish have a remarkable capacity for spontaneously regenerating their central nervous system. Larval zebrafish are optically transparent and therefore are widely used to dynamically visualize cellular processes in vivo, such as nerve regeneration. Regeneration of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons within the optic nerve has been previously studied in adult zebrafish. In contrast, assays of optic nerve regeneration have previously not been established in larval zebrafish. In order to take advantage of the imaging capabilities in the larval zebrafish model, we recently developed an assay to physically transect RGC axons and monitor optic nerve regeneration in larval zebrafish. We found that RGC axons rapidly and robustly regrow to the optic tectum. Here, we describe the methods for performing the optic nerve transections, as well as methods for visualizing RGC regeneration in larval zebrafish.
Collapse
|
39
|
Wynne NE, Chandrasegaran K, Fryzlewicz L, Vinauger C. Visual threats reduce blood-feeding and trigger escape responses in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Sci Rep 2022; 12:21354. [PMID: 36494463 PMCID: PMC9734121 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-25461-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The diurnal mosquitoes Aedes aegypti are vectors of several arboviruses, including dengue, yellow fever, and Zika viruses. To find a host to feed on, they rely on the sophisticated integration of olfactory, visual, thermal, and gustatory cues emitted by the hosts. If detected by their target, this latter may display defensive behaviors that mosquitoes need to be able to detect and escape in order to survive. In humans, a typical response is a swat of the hand, which generates both mechanical and visual perturbations aimed at a mosquito. Here, we used programmable visual displays to generate expanding objects sharing characteristics with the visual component of an approaching hand and quantified the behavioral response of female mosquitoes. Results show that Ae. aegypti is capable of using visual information to decide whether to feed on an artificial host mimic. Stimulations delivered in a LED flight arena further reveal that landed Ae. aegypti females display a stereotypical escape strategy by taking off at an angle that is a function of the direction of stimulus introduction. Altogether, this study demonstrates that mosquitoes landed on a host mimic can use isolated visual cues to detect and avoid a potential threat.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicole E. Wynne
- grid.438526.e0000 0001 0694 4940Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061 USA ,grid.438526.e0000 0001 0694 4940Center for Emerging Zoonotic and Arthropod-Borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061 USA
| | - Karthikeyan Chandrasegaran
- grid.438526.e0000 0001 0694 4940Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061 USA ,grid.438526.e0000 0001 0694 4940Center for Emerging Zoonotic and Arthropod-Borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061 USA
| | - Lauren Fryzlewicz
- grid.438526.e0000 0001 0694 4940Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061 USA ,grid.438526.e0000 0001 0694 4940Center for Emerging Zoonotic and Arthropod-Borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061 USA
| | - Clément Vinauger
- grid.438526.e0000 0001 0694 4940Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061 USA ,grid.438526.e0000 0001 0694 4940Center for Emerging Zoonotic and Arthropod-Borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061 USA
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Drinkwater E, Allen WL, Endler JA, Hanlon RT, Holmes G, Homziak NT, Kang C, Leavell BC, Lehtonen J, Loeffler‐Henry K, Ratcliffe JM, Rowe C, Ruxton GD, Sherratt TN, Skelhorn J, Skojec C, Smart HR, White TE, Yack JE, Young CM, Umbers KDL. A synthesis of deimatic behaviour. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2022; 97:2237-2267. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 07/17/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor Drinkwater
- Department of Animal Science Writtle University College Writtle Chelmsford CM1 3RR UK
| | - William L. Allen
- Department of Biosciences Swansea University Sketty Swansea SA2 8PP UK
| | - John A. Endler
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life & Environmental Sciences Deakin University Waurn Ponds VIC 3216 Australia
| | | | - Grace Holmes
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH UK
| | - Nicholas T. Homziak
- McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History University of Florida Gainesville FL 32611 USA
- Entomology and Nematology Department University of Florida Gainesville FL 32611 USA
| | - Changku Kang
- Department of Biosciences Mokpo National University Muan Jeollanamdo 58554 South Korea
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology Seoul National University Seoul 08826 South Korea
- Department of Agriculture and Life Sciences Seoul National University Seoul 08826 South Korea
| | - Brian C. Leavell
- Department of Biological Sciences Purdue University West Lafayette IN 47907 USA
| | - Jussi Lehtonen
- Faculty of Science, School of Life and Environmental Sciences The University of Sydney Sydney NSW 2006 Australia
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä 40014 Finland
| | | | - John M. Ratcliffe
- Department of Biology University of Toronto Mississauga Mississauga ON L5L 1C6 Canada
| | - Candy Rowe
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH UK
| | - Graeme D. Ruxton
- School of Biology University of St Andrews St Andrews Fife KY16 9TH UK
| | - Tom N. Sherratt
- Department of Biology Carleton University Ottawa ON K1S 5B6 Canada
| | - John Skelhorn
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH UK
| | - Chelsea Skojec
- McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History University of Florida Gainesville FL 32611 USA
- Entomology and Nematology Department University of Florida Gainesville FL 32611 USA
| | - Hannah R. Smart
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment Western Sydney University Penrith NSW 2751 Australia
| | - Thomas E. White
- Faculty of Science, School of Life and Environmental Sciences The University of Sydney Sydney NSW 2006 Australia
| | - Jayne E. Yack
- Department of Biology Carleton University Ottawa ON K1S 5B6 Canada
| | | | - Kate D. L. Umbers
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment Western Sydney University Penrith NSW 2751 Australia
- School of Science Western Sydney University Penrith NSW 2751 Australia
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Leconstant C, Spitz E. Integrative Model of Human-Animal Interactions: A One Health-One Welfare Systemic Approach to Studying HAI. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:656833. [PMID: 35968006 PMCID: PMC9372562 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.656833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The Integrative Model of Human-Animal Interactions (IMHAI) described herewith provides a conceptual framework for the study of interspecies interactions and aims to model the primary emotional processes involved in human-animal interactions. This model was developed from theoretical inputs from three fundamental disciplines for understanding interspecies interactions: neuroscience, psychology and ethology, with the objective of providing a transdisciplinary approach on which field professionals and researchers can build and collaborate. Seminal works in affective neuroscience offer a common basis between humans and animals and, as such, can be applied to the study of interspecies interactions from a One Health-One Welfare perspective. On the one hand, Jaak Panksepp's research revealed that primary/basic emotions originate in the deep subcortical regions of the brain and are shared by all mammals, including humans. On the other hand, several works in the field of neuroscience show that the basic physiological state is largely determined by the perception of safety. Thus, emotional expression reflects the state of an individual's permanent adaptation to ever-changing environmental demands. Based on this evidence and over 5 years of action research using grounded theory, alternating between research and practice, the IMHAI proposes a systemic approach to the study of primary-process emotional affects during interspecies social interactions, through the processes of emotional transfer, embodied communication and interactive emotional regulation. IMHAI aims to generate new hypotheses and predictions on affective behavior and interspecies communication. Application of such a model should promote risk prevention and the establishment of positive links between humans and animals thereby contributing to their respective wellbeing.
Collapse
|
42
|
Messina A, Potrich D, Perrino M, Sheardown E, Miletto Petrazzini ME, Luu P, Nadtochiy A, Truong TV, Sovrano VA, Fraser SE, Brennan CH, Vallortigara G. Quantity as a Fish Views It: Behavior and Neurobiology. Front Neuroanat 2022; 16:943504. [PMID: 35911657 PMCID: PMC9334151 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2022.943504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
An ability to estimate quantities, such as the number of conspecifics or the size of a predator, has been reported in vertebrates. Fish, in particular zebrafish, may be instrumental in advancing the understanding of magnitude cognition. We review here the behavioral studies that have described the ecological relevance of quantity estimation in fish and the current status of the research aimed at investigating the neurobiological bases of these abilities. By combining behavioral methods with molecular genetics and calcium imaging, the involvement of the retina and the optic tectum has been documented for the estimation of continuous quantities in the larval and adult zebrafish brain, and the contributions of the thalamus and the dorsal-central pallium for discrete magnitude estimation in the adult zebrafish brain. Evidence for basic circuitry can now be complemented and extended to research that make use of transgenic lines to deepen our understanding of quantity cognition at genetic and molecular levels.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Messina
- Centre for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Davide Potrich
- Centre for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Matilde Perrino
- Centre for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Eva Sheardown
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, New Hunt’s House, Kings College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Peter Luu
- Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Anna Nadtochiy
- Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Thai V. Truong
- Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Valeria Anna Sovrano
- Centre for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Scott E. Fraser
- Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Caroline H. Brennan
- School of Biological and Behavioral Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Giorgio Vallortigara
- Centre for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
- *Correspondence: Giorgio Vallortigara,
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Visual recognition of social signals by a tectothalamic neural circuit. Nature 2022; 608:146-152. [PMID: 35831500 PMCID: PMC9352588 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04925-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Social affiliation emerges from individual-level behavioural rules that are driven by conspecific signals1-5. Long-distance attraction and short-distance repulsion, for example, are rules that jointly set a preferred interanimal distance in swarms6-8. However, little is known about their perceptual mechanisms and executive neural circuits3. Here we trace the neuronal response to self-like biological motion9,10, a visual trigger for affiliation in developing zebrafish2,11. Unbiased activity mapping and targeted volumetric two-photon calcium imaging revealed 21 activity hotspots distributed throughout the brain as well as clustered biological-motion-tuned neurons in a multimodal, socially activated nucleus of the dorsal thalamus. Individual dorsal thalamus neurons encode local acceleration of visual stimuli mimicking typical fish kinetics but are insensitive to global or continuous motion. Electron microscopic reconstruction of dorsal thalamus neurons revealed synaptic input from the optic tectum and projections into hypothalamic areas with conserved social function12-14. Ablation of the optic tectum or dorsal thalamus selectively disrupted social attraction without affecting short-distance repulsion. This tectothalamic pathway thus serves visual recognition of conspecifics, and dissociates neuronal control of attraction from repulsion during social affiliation, revealing a circuit underpinning collective behaviour.
Collapse
|
44
|
Ecological decision-making: From circuit elements to emerging principles. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2022; 74:102551. [DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2022.102551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
|
45
|
Neural mechanisms to exploit positional geometry for collision avoidance. Curr Biol 2022; 32:2357-2374.e6. [PMID: 35508172 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.04.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2022] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Visual motion provides rich geometrical cues about the three-dimensional configuration of the world. However, how brains decode the spatial information carried by motion signals remains poorly understood. Here, we study a collision-avoidance behavior in Drosophila as a simple model of motion-based spatial vision. With simulations and psychophysics, we demonstrate that walking Drosophila exhibit a pattern of slowing to avoid collisions by exploiting the geometry of positional changes of objects on near-collision courses. This behavior requires the visual neuron LPLC1, whose tuning mirrors the behavior and whose activity drives slowing. LPLC1 pools inputs from object and motion detectors, and spatially biased inhibition tunes it to the geometry of collisions. Connectomic analyses identified circuitry downstream of LPLC1 that faithfully inherits its response properties. Overall, our results reveal how a small neural circuit solves a specific spatial vision task by combining distinct visual features to exploit universal geometrical constraints of the visual world.
Collapse
|
46
|
Liu X, Huang H, Snutch TP, Cao P, Wang L, Wang F. The Superior Colliculus: Cell Types, Connectivity, and Behavior. Neurosci Bull 2022; 38:1519-1540. [PMID: 35484472 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-022-00858-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The superior colliculus (SC), one of the most well-characterized midbrain sensorimotor structures where visual, auditory, and somatosensory information are integrated to initiate motor commands, is highly conserved across vertebrate evolution. Moreover, cell-type-specific SC neurons integrate afferent signals within local networks to generate defined output related to innate and cognitive behaviors. This review focuses on the recent progress in understanding of phenotypic diversity amongst SC neurons and their intrinsic circuits and long-projection targets. We further describe relevant neural circuits and specific cell types in relation to behavioral outputs and cognitive functions. The systematic delineation of SC organization, cell types, and neural connections is further put into context across species as these depend upon laminar architecture. Moreover, we focus on SC neural circuitry involving saccadic eye movement, and cognitive and innate behaviors. Overall, the review provides insight into SC functioning and represents a basis for further understanding of the pathology associated with SC dysfunction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xue Liu
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Hongren Huang
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Terrance P Snutch
- Michael Smith Laboratories and Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Peng Cao
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Liping Wang
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
| | - Feng Wang
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Kimura H, Pfalzgraff T, Levet M, Kawabata Y, Steffensen JF, Johansen JL, Domenici P. Escaping from multiple visual threats: Modulation of escape responses in Pacific staghorn sculpin ( Leptocottus armatus). J Exp Biol 2022; 225:275328. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Fish perform rapid escape responses to avoid sudden predatory attacks. During escape responses, fish bend their bodies into a C-shape and quickly turn away from the predator and accelerate. The escape trajectory is determined by the initial turn (Stage 1) and a contralateral bend (Stage 2). Previous studies have used a single threat or model predator as a stimulus. In nature, however, multiple predators may attack from different directions simultaneously or in close succession. It is unknown whether fish are able to change the course of their escape response when startled by multiple stimuli at various time intervals. Pacific staghorn sculpin (Leptocottus armatus) were startled with a left and right visual stimulus in close succession. By varying the timing of the second stimulus, we were able to determine when and how a second stimulus could affect the escape response direction. Four treatments were used: a single visual stimulus (control); or two stimuli coming from opposite sides separated by a 0 ms (simultaneous treatment); a 33 ms; or a 83 ms time interval. The 33 ms and 83 ms time intervals were chosen to occur shortly before and after a predicted 60 ms visual escape latency (i.e. during Stage 1). The 0 ms and 33 ms treatments influenced both the escape trajectory and the Stage 1 turning angle, compared to a single stimulation, whereas the 83 ms treatment had no effect on the escape trajectory. We conclude that Pacific staghorn sculpin can modulate their escape trajectory only between stimulation and the onset of the response, but that escape trajectory cannot be modulated after the body motion has started.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hibiki Kimura
- Graduate School of Fisheries and Environmental Sciences, Nagasaki University, 1-14 Bunkyo-machi, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Tilo Pfalzgraff
- Technical University of Denmark, DTU AQUA, Section for Aquaculture, The North Sea Research Centre, 9850 Hirtshals, Denmark
| | - Marie Levet
- Département de Sciences Biologiques, Université de Montréal, Campus MIL, 1375 Avenue Thérèse-Lavoie-Roux, Montréal QC H2V 0B3, Canada
| | - Yuuki Kawabata
- Graduate School of Fisheries and Environmental Sciences, Nagasaki University, 1-14 Bunkyo-machi, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - John F. Steffensen
- Marine Biological Section, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Strandpromenaden 5, DK-3000, Helsingør, Denmark
| | - Jacob L. Johansen
- Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 46-007 Lilipuna Rd, Kaneohe, HI 96744, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
48
|
Marquez-Legorreta E, Constantin L, Piber M, Favre-Bulle IA, Taylor MA, Blevins AS, Giacomotto J, Bassett DS, Vanwalleghem GC, Scott EK. Brain-wide visual habituation networks in wild type and fmr1 zebrafish. Nat Commun 2022; 13:895. [PMID: 35173170 PMCID: PMC8850451 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28299-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Habituation is a form of learning during which animals stop responding to repetitive stimuli, and deficits in habituation are characteristic of several psychiatric disorders. Due to technical challenges, the brain-wide networks mediating habituation are poorly understood. Here we report brain-wide calcium imaging during larval zebrafish habituation to repeated visual looming stimuli. We show that different functional categories of loom-sensitive neurons are located in characteristic locations throughout the brain, and that both the functional properties of their networks and the resulting behavior can be modulated by stimulus saliency and timing. Using graph theory, we identify a visual circuit that habituates minimally, a moderately habituating midbrain population proposed to mediate the sensorimotor transformation, and downstream circuit elements responsible for higher order representations and the delivery of behavior. Zebrafish larvae carrying a mutation in the fmr1 gene have a systematic shift toward sustained premotor activity in this network, and show slower behavioral habituation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Marquez-Legorreta
- The Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.,Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Lena Constantin
- The Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Marielle Piber
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences, and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Itia A Favre-Bulle
- The Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.,School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Michael A Taylor
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Ann S Blevins
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Jean Giacomotto
- The Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.,Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, West Moreton Hospital and Health Service, Wacol, QLD, 4076, Australia.,Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, 4111, Australia.,Discovery Biology, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, 4111, Australia
| | - Dani S Bassett
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.,Departments of Electrical & Systems Engineering, Physics & Astronomy, Neurology, Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.,Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, 87501, USA
| | - Gilles C Vanwalleghem
- The Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia. .,Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience - DANDRITE, Nordic-EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - Ethan K Scott
- The Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Cisek P. Evolution of behavioural control from chordates to primates. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200522. [PMID: 34957850 PMCID: PMC8710891 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
This article outlines a hypothetical sequence of evolutionary innovations, along the lineage that produced humans, which extended behavioural control from simple feedback loops to sophisticated control of diverse species-typical actions. I begin with basic feedback mechanisms of ancient mobile animals and follow the major niche transitions from aquatic to terrestrial life, the retreat into nocturnality in early mammals, the transition to arboreal life and the return to diurnality. Along the way, I propose a sequence of elaboration and diversification of the behavioural repertoire and associated neuroanatomical substrates. This includes midbrain control of approach versus escape actions, telencephalic control of local versus long-range foraging, detection of affordances by the dorsal pallium, diversified control of nocturnal foraging in the mammalian neocortex and expansion of primate frontal, temporal and parietal cortex to support a wide variety of primate-specific behavioural strategies. The result is a proposed functional architecture consisting of parallel control systems, each dedicated to specifying the affordances for guiding particular species-typical actions, which compete against each other through a hierarchy of selection mechanisms. This article is part of the theme issue 'Systems neuroscience through the lens of evolutionary theory'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paul Cisek
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Montreal CP 6123 Succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec, Canada H3C 3J7
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Tesmer AL, Fields NP, Robles E. Input from torus longitudinalis drives binocularity and spatial summation in zebrafish optic tectum. BMC Biol 2022; 20:24. [PMID: 35073895 PMCID: PMC8788132 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-021-01222-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background A continued effort in neuroscience aims to understand the way brain circuits consisting of diverse neuronal types generate complex behavior following sensory input. A common feature of vertebrate visual systems is that lower-order and higher-order visual areas are reciprocally connected. Feedforward projections confer visual responsiveness to higher-order visual neurons while feedback projections likely serve to modulate responses of lower-order visual neurons in a context-dependent manner. Optic tectum is the largest first-order visual brain area in zebrafish and is reciprocally connected with the torus longitudinalis (TL), a second-order visual brain area that does not receive retinal input. A functional role for feedback projections from TL to tectum has not been identified. Here we aim to understand how this feedback contributes to visual processing. Results In this study, we demonstrate that TL feedback projections to tectum drive binocular integration and spatial summation in a defined tectal circuit. We performed genetically targeted, cell type-specific functional imaging in tectal pyramidal neurons (PyrNs) and their two input neuron populations: retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and neurons in TL. We find that PyrNs encode gradual changes in scene luminance using a complement of three distinct response classes that encode different light intensity ranges. Functional imaging of RGC inputs to tectum suggest that these response classes originate in the retina and RGC input specifies PyrN functional classes. In contrast, TL input serves to endow PyrNs with large, compound receptive fields that span both retinal hemifields. Conclusions These findings reveal a novel role for the zebrafish TL in driving binocular integration and spatial summation in tectal PyrNs. The neural circuit we describe generates a population of tectal neurons with large receptive fields tailored for detecting changes in the visual scene. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12915-021-01222-x.
Collapse
|