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Lamontagne A, Gaunet F. Behavioural Synchronisation between Dogs and Humans: Unveiling Interspecific Motor Resonance? Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:548. [PMID: 38396516 PMCID: PMC10886274 DOI: 10.3390/ani14040548] [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: 12/01/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Dogs' behavioural synchronisation with humans is of growing scientific interest. However, studies lack a comprehensive exploration of the neurocognitive foundations of this social cognitive ability. Drawing parallels from the mechanisms underlying behavioural synchronisation in humans, specifically motor resonance and the recruitment of mirror neurons, we hypothesise that dogs' behavioural synchronisation with humans is underpinned by a similar mechanism, namely interspecific motor resonance. Based on a literature review, we argue that dogs possess the prerequisites for motor resonance, and we suggest that interspecific behavioural synchronisation relies on the activation of both human and canine mirror neurons. Furthermore, interspecific behavioural studies highlight certain characteristics of motor resonance, including motor contagion and its social modulators. While these findings strongly suggest the potential existence of interspecific motor resonance, direct proof remains to be established. Our analysis thus paves the way for future research to confirm the existence of interspecific motor resonance as the neurocognitive foundation for interspecific behavioural synchronisation. Unravelling the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying this behavioural adjustment holds profound implications for understanding the evolutionary dynamics of dogs alongside humans and improving the day-to-day management of dog-human interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angélique Lamontagne
- Centre de Recherche en Psychologie et Neuroscience (UMR 7077), Aix-Marseille University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 3 Place Victor Hugo, 13331 Marseille, Cedex 03, France
- Association Agir pour la Vie Animale (AVA), 76220 Cuy-Saint-Fiacre, France
| | - Florence Gaunet
- Centre de Recherche en Psychologie et Neuroscience (UMR 7077), Aix-Marseille University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 3 Place Victor Hugo, 13331 Marseille, Cedex 03, France
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Hovde K, Rautio IV, Hegstad AM, Witter MP, Whitlock JR. Visuomotor interactions in the mouse forebrain mediated by extrastriate cortico-cortical pathways. Front Neuroanat 2023; 17:1188808. [PMID: 37228422 PMCID: PMC10203190 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2023.1188808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The mammalian visual system can be broadly divided into two functional processing pathways: a dorsal stream supporting visually and spatially guided actions, and a ventral stream enabling object recognition. In rodents, the majority of visual signaling in the dorsal stream is transmitted to frontal motor cortices via extrastriate visual areas surrounding V1, but exactly where and to what extent V1 feeds into motor-projecting visual regions is not well known. Methods We employed a dual labeling strategy in male and female mice in which efferent projections from V1 were labeled anterogradely, and motor-projecting neurons in higher visual areas were labeled with retrogradely traveling adeno-associated virus (rAAV-retro) injected in M2. We characterized the labeling in both flattened and coronal sections of dorsal cortex and made high-resolution 3D reconstructions to count putative synaptic contacts in different extrastriate areas. Results The most pronounced colocalization V1 output and M2 input occurred in extrastriate areas AM, PM, RL and AL. Neurons in both superficial and deep layers in each project to M2, but high resolution volumetric reconstructions indicated that the majority of putative synaptic contacts from V1 onto M2-projecting neurons occurred in layer 2/3. Discussion These findings support the existence of a dorsal processing stream in the mouse visual system, where visual signals reach motor cortex largely via feedforward projections in anteriorly and medially located extrastriate areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karoline Hovde
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ida V. Rautio
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Andrea M. Hegstad
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Menno P. Witter
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Jonathan R. Whitlock
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
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Ferrari PF, Méndez CA, Coudé G. Aggression: The dark side of mirror neurons sheds light on their functions. Curr Biol 2023; 33:R313-R316. [PMID: 37098336 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.03.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/27/2023]
Abstract
Mirror neurons have been found mainly in neocortical structures of primates and rodents; however, their functions are still debated. A new study has discovered mirror neurons for aggressive behaviors in the ventromedial hypothalamus of mice, an evolutionarily ancient structure, highlighting a new function key for survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pier Francesco Ferrari
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, CNRS, Bron, France; Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France; Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
| | - Carlos Andrés Méndez
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, CNRS, Bron, France; Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Gino Coudé
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, CNRS, Bron, France; Inovarion, Paris, France
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Iriki A, Tramacere A. “Natural Laboratory Complex” for novel primate neuroscience. Front Integr Neurosci 2022; 16:927605. [PMID: 36274659 PMCID: PMC9581230 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2022.927605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
We propose novel strategies for primate experimentation that are ethically valuable and pragmatically useful for cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychiatric research. Specifically, we propose Natural Laboratory Complex or Natural Labs, which are a combination of indoor-outdoor structures for studying free moving and socially housed primates in natural or naturalistic environment. We contend that Natural Labs are pivotal to improve primate welfare, and at the same time to implement longitudinal and socio-ecological studies of primate brain and behavior. Currently emerging advanced technologies and social systems (including recent COVID-19 induced “remote” infrastructures) can speed-up cognitive neuroscience approaches in freely behaving animals. Experimental approaches in natural(istic) settings are not in competition with conventional approaches of laboratory investigations, and could establish several benefits at the ethical, experimental, and economic levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsushi Iriki
- Laboratory for Symbolic Cognitive Development, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Kobe, Japan
- *Correspondence: Atsushi Iriki,
| | - Antonella Tramacere
- Department of Philosophy and Communication Studies, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Department of Cultural and Linguistic Evolution, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
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Mirror neurons 30 years later: implications and applications. Trends Cogn Sci 2022; 26:767-781. [PMID: 35803832 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2022.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 05/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Mirror neurons (MNs) were first described in a seminal paper in 1992 as a class of monkey premotor cells discharging during both action execution and observation. Despite their debated origin and function, recent studies in several species, from birds to humans, revealed that beyond MNs properly so called, a variety of cell types distributed among multiple motor, sensory, and emotional brain areas form a 'mirror mechanism' more complex and flexible than originally thought, which has an evolutionarily conserved role in social interaction. Here, we trace the current limits and envisage the future trends of this discovery, showing that it inspired translational research and the development of new neurorehabilitation approaches, and constitutes a point of no return in social and affective neuroscience.
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Keysers C, Knapska E, Moita MA, Gazzola V. Emotional contagion and prosocial behavior in rodents. Trends Cogn Sci 2022; 26:688-706. [PMID: 35667978 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2022.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Empathy is critical to adjusting our behavior to the state of others. The past decade dramatically deepened our understanding of the biological origin of this capacity. We now understand that rodents robustly show emotional contagion for the distress of others via neural structures homologous to those involved in human empathy. Their propensity to approach others in distress strengthens this effect. Although rodents can also learn to favor behaviors that benefit others via structures overlapping with those of emotional contagion, they do so less reliably and more selectively. Together, this suggests evolution selected mechanisms for emotional contagion to prepare animals for dangers by using others as sentinels. Such shared emotions additionally can, under certain circumstances, promote prosocial behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Keysers
- Social Brain Lab, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Art and Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Ewelina Knapska
- Laboratory of Emotions' Neurobiology, Center of Excellence for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Marta A Moita
- Champalimaud Neuroscience Progamme, Champalimaud Foundation, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Valeria Gazzola
- Social Brain Lab, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Art and Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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Rochat MJ. Sex and gender differences in the development of empathy. J Neurosci Res 2022; 101:718-729. [PMID: 35043464 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The topic of typical sex and gender difference in empathy is examined in both a developmental and neuroscientific perspective. Empathy is construed as a multi-layered phenomenon with various degrees of complexity unfolding in ontogeny. The different components of empathy (i.e., affective, cognitive, and prosocial motivation) will be discussed as they interact and are expressed behaviorally. Significant sex/gender differences in empathy are discussed in relation to putative bottom-up or top-down processes underlying empathetic responses. The early onset and the pervasive presence of such sex/gender differences throughout the lifespan are further discussed in light of social and neurobiological modeling factors, including early socialization, brain's structural/functional variances, as well as genetics and hormonal factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magali Jane Rochat
- Functional and Molecular Neuroimaging Unit, IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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Ivica N, Censoni L, Sjöbom J, Richter U, Petersson P. Differential effects of skilled reaching training on the temporal and spatial organization of somatosensory input to cortical and striatal motor circuits. J Neurophysiol 2021; 127:225-238. [PMID: 34936519 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00464.2021] [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: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been hypothesized that in order to perform sensorimotor transformations efficiently, somatosensory information being fed back to a particular motor circuit is organized in accordance with the mechanical loading patterns of the skin that results from the motor activity generated by that circuit. Rearrangements of sensory information to different motor circuits could in this respect constitute a key component of sensorimotor learning. We have here explored if the organization of tactile input from the plantar forepaw of the rat to cortical and striatal circuits is affected by a period of extensive sensorimotor training in a skilled reaching and grasping task. Our data show that the representation of tactile stimuli in terms of both temporal and spatial response patterns changes as a consequence of the training, and that spatial changes particularly involve the primary motor cortex. Based on the observed reorganization, we propose that reshaping of the spatiotemporal representation of the tactile afference to motor circuits is an integral component of the learning process that underlies skill-acquisition in reaching and grasping.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nedjeljka Ivica
- Integrative Neurophysiology and Neurotechnology, Department of Experimental Medical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Luciano Censoni
- Department of Integrative Medical Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Joel Sjöbom
- Integrative Neurophysiology and Neurotechnology, Department of Experimental Medical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Ulrike Richter
- Integrative Neurophysiology and Neurotechnology, Department of Experimental Medical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Per Petersson
- Integrative Neurophysiology and Neurotechnology, Department of Experimental Medical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.,Department of Integrative Medical Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
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