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Washington SD, Shattuck K, Steckel J, Peremans H, Jonckers E, Hinz R, Venneman T, Van den Berg M, Van Ruijssevelt L, Verellen T, Pritchett DL, Scholliers J, Liang S, C Wang P, Verhoye M, Esser KH, Van der Linden A, Keliris GA. Auditory cortical regions show resting-state functional connectivity with the default mode-like network in echolocating bats. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2306029121. [PMID: 38913894 PMCID: PMC11228507 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2306029121] [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: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2024] [Indexed: 06/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Echolocating bats are among the most social and vocal of all mammals. These animals are ideal subjects for functional MRI (fMRI) studies of auditory social communication given their relatively hypertrophic limbic and auditory neural structures and their reduced ability to hear MRI gradient noise. Yet, no resting-state networks relevant to social cognition (e.g., default mode-like networks or DMLNs) have been identified in bats since there are few, if any, fMRI studies in the chiropteran order. Here, we acquired fMRI data at 7 Tesla from nine lightly anesthetized pale spear-nosed bats (Phyllostomus discolor). We applied independent components analysis (ICA) to reveal resting-state networks and measured neural activity elicited by noise ripples (on: 10 ms; off: 10 ms) that span this species' ultrasonic hearing range (20 to 130 kHz). Resting-state networks pervaded auditory, parietal, and occipital cortices, along with the hippocampus, cerebellum, basal ganglia, and auditory brainstem. Two midline networks formed an apparent DMLN. Additionally, we found four predominantly auditory/parietal cortical networks, of which two were left-lateralized and two right-lateralized. Regions within four auditory/parietal cortical networks are known to respond to social calls. Along with the auditory brainstem, regions within these four cortical networks responded to ultrasonic noise ripples. Iterative analyses revealed consistent, significant functional connectivity between the left, but not right, auditory/parietal cortical networks and DMLN nodes, especially the anterior-most cingulate cortex. Thus, a resting-state network implicated in social cognition displays more distributed functional connectivity across left, relative to right, hemispheric cortical substrates of audition and communication in this highly social and vocal species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart D Washington
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Drie Eiken Campus, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp B-2610, Belgium
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
- Molecular Imaging Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Howard University, College of Medicine, Washington, DC 20060
- Department of Anatomy, Howard University, College of Medicine, Washington, DC 20060
| | - Kyle Shattuck
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20057
- Department of Neurology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20057
| | - Jan Steckel
- Department of Electronics-Information and Communication Technology, Cosys Lab, University of Antwerp, Antwerp B-2020, Belgium
- Flanders Make Strategic Research Center, Oude Diestersebaan 133, Lommel 3920, Belgium
| | - Herbert Peremans
- Department of Engineering Management, University of Antwerp, Antwerp B-2000, Belgium
| | - Elisabeth Jonckers
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Drie Eiken Campus, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp B-2610, Belgium
- µNeuro Research Centre for Excellence, Drie Eiken Campus, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp B-2610, Belgium
| | - Rukun Hinz
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Drie Eiken Campus, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp B-2610, Belgium
| | - Tom Venneman
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Drie Eiken Campus, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp B-2610, Belgium
| | - Monica Van den Berg
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Drie Eiken Campus, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp B-2610, Belgium
- µNeuro Research Centre for Excellence, Drie Eiken Campus, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp B-2610, Belgium
| | - Lisbeth Van Ruijssevelt
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Drie Eiken Campus, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp B-2610, Belgium
| | - Thomas Verellen
- Department of Electronics-Information and Communication Technology, Cosys Lab, University of Antwerp, Antwerp B-2020, Belgium
| | - Dominique L Pritchett
- Department of Biology, Howard University, College of Arts and Sciences, Washington, DC 20059
| | - Jan Scholliers
- Department of Biology, Drie Eiken Campus, University of Antwerp, Antwerp B-2610, Belgium
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Drie Eiken Campus, University of Antwerp, Antwerp B-2610, Belgium
| | - Sayuan Liang
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Drie Eiken Campus, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp B-2610, Belgium
| | - Paul C Wang
- Molecular Imaging Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Howard University, College of Medicine, Washington, DC 20060
- Department of Physics, Fu Jen Catholic University, Taipei 24205, Taiwan
| | - Marleen Verhoye
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Drie Eiken Campus, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp B-2610, Belgium
- µNeuro Research Centre for Excellence, Drie Eiken Campus, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp B-2610, Belgium
| | - Karl-Heinz Esser
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover 30559, Germany
| | - Annemie Van der Linden
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Drie Eiken Campus, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp B-2610, Belgium
- µNeuro Research Centre for Excellence, Drie Eiken Campus, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp B-2610, Belgium
| | - Georgios A Keliris
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Drie Eiken Campus, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp B-2610, Belgium
- Institute of Computer Science, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Heraklion, Crete, GR 700 13, Greece; and
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston 02115, MA
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Ross LN, Bassett DS. Causation in neuroscience: keeping mechanism meaningful. Nat Rev Neurosci 2024; 25:81-90. [PMID: 38212413 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-023-00778-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
A fundamental goal of research in neuroscience is to uncover the causal structure of the brain. This focus on causation makes sense, because causal information can provide explanations of brain function and identify reliable targets with which to understand cognitive function and prevent or change neurological conditions and psychiatric disorders. In this research, one of the most frequently used causal concepts is 'mechanism' - this is seen in the literature and language of the field, in grant and funding inquiries that specify what research is supported, and in journal guidelines on which contributions are considered for publication. In these contexts, mechanisms are commonly tied to expressions of the main aims of the field and cited as the 'fundamental', 'foundational' and/or 'basic' unit for understanding the brain. Despite its common usage and perceived importance, mechanism is used in different ways that are rarely distinguished. Given that this concept is defined in different ways throughout the field - and that there is often no clarification of which definition is intended - there remains a marked ambiguity about the fundamental goals, orientation and principles of the field. Here we provide an overview of causation and mechanism from the perspectives of neuroscience and philosophy of science, in order to address these challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren N Ross
- Department of Logic and Philosophy of Science, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
| | - Dani S Bassett
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Electrical & Systems Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, USA
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