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Koch D, Nandan A, Ramesan G, Koseska A. Biological computations: Limitations of attractor-based formalisms and the need for transients. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2024; 720:150069. [PMID: 38754165 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.150069] [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: 10/19/2023] [Revised: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Living systems, from single cells to higher vertebrates, receive a continuous stream of non-stationary inputs that they sense, for e.g. via cell surface receptors or sensory organs. By integrating these time-varying, multi-sensory, and often noisy information with memory using complex molecular or neuronal networks, they generate a variety of responses beyond simple stimulus-response association, including avoidance behavior, life-long-learning or social interactions. In a broad sense, these processes can be understood as a type of biological computation. Taking as a basis generic features of biological computations, such as real-time responsiveness or robustness and flexibility of the computation, we highlight the limitations of the current attractor-based framework for understanding computations in biological systems. We argue that frameworks based on transient dynamics away from attractors are better suited for the description of computations performed by neuronal and signaling networks. In particular, we discuss how quasi-stable transient dynamics from ghost states that emerge at criticality have a promising potential for developing an integrated framework of computations, that can help us understand how living system actively process information and learn from their continuously changing environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Koch
- Lise Meitner Group Cellular Computations and Learning, Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behaviour - Caesar, Bonn, Germany
| | - Akhilesh Nandan
- Lise Meitner Group Cellular Computations and Learning, Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behaviour - Caesar, Bonn, Germany
| | - Gayathri Ramesan
- Lise Meitner Group Cellular Computations and Learning, Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behaviour - Caesar, Bonn, Germany
| | - Aneta Koseska
- Lise Meitner Group Cellular Computations and Learning, Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behaviour - Caesar, Bonn, Germany.
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2
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Shook EN, Barlow GT, Garcia-Rosales D, Gibbons CJ, Montague TG. Dynamic skin behaviors in cephalopods. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2024; 86:102876. [PMID: 38652980 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2024.102876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
The coleoid cephalopods (cuttlefish, octopus, and squid) are a group of soft-bodied mollusks that exhibit a wealth of complex behaviors, including dynamic camouflage, object mimicry, skin-based visual communication, and dynamic body patterns during sleep. Many of these behaviors are visually driven and engage the animals' color changing skin, a pixelated display that is directly controlled by neurons projecting from the brain. Thus, cephalopod skin provides a direct readout of neural activity in the brain. During camouflage, cephalopods recreate on their skin an approximation of what they see, providing a window into perceptual processes in the brain. Additionally, cephalopods communicate their internal state during social encounters using innate skin patterns, and create waves of pigmentation on their skin during periods of arousal. Thus, by leveraging the visual displays of cephalopods, we can gain insight into how the external world is represented in the brain and how this representation is transformed into a recapitulation of the world on the skin. Here, we describe the rich skin behaviors of the coleoid cephalopods, what is known about cephalopod neuroanatomy, and how advancements in gene editing, machine learning, optical imaging, and electrophysiological tools may provide an opportunity to explore the neural bases of these fascinating behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica N Shook
- The Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - George Thomas Barlow
- The Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Daniella Garcia-Rosales
- The Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Connor J Gibbons
- The Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Tessa G Montague
- The Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
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3
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Fenton AA. Remapping revisited: how the hippocampus represents different spaces. Nat Rev Neurosci 2024; 25:428-448. [PMID: 38714834 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-024-00817-x] [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: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
The representation of distinct spaces by hippocampal place cells has been linked to changes in their place fields (the locations in the environment where the place cells discharge strongly), a phenomenon that has been termed 'remapping'. Remapping has been assumed to be accompanied by the reorganization of subsecond cofiring relationships among the place cells, potentially maximizing hippocampal information coding capacity. However, several observations challenge this standard view. For example, place cells exhibit mixed selectivity, encode non-positional variables, can have multiple place fields and exhibit unreliable discharge in fixed environments. Furthermore, recent evidence suggests that, when measured at subsecond timescales, the moment-to-moment cofiring of a pair of cells in one environment is remarkably similar in another environment, despite remapping. Here, I propose that remapping is a misnomer for the changes in place fields across environments and suggest instead that internally organized manifold representations of hippocampal activity are actively registered to different environments to enable navigation, promote memory and organize knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- André A Fenton
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
- Neuroscience Institute at the NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
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Huang G, Zhang Y, Zhang W, Wei F. Genetic mechanisms of animal camouflage: an interdisciplinary perspective. Trends Genet 2024:S0168-9525(24)00073-8. [PMID: 38644132 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2024.03.009] [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: 02/10/2024] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Camouflage is a classic example of a trait wherein animals respond to natural selection to avoid predation or attract prey. This unique phenomenon has attracted significant recent attention and the rapid development of integrative research methods is facilitating advances in our understanding of the in-depth genetic mechanisms of camouflage. In this review article, we revisit camouflage definitions and strategies and then we examine the underlying mechanisms of the two most common forms of camouflage, crypsis and masquerade, that have recently been elucidated using multiple approaches. We also discuss unresolved questions related to camouflage. Ultimately, we highlight the implications of camouflage for informing various key issues in ecology and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangping Huang
- Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology, College of Forestry, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Yubo Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Fuwen Wei
- Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology, College of Forestry, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
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John L, Santon M, Michiels NK. Scorpionfish adjust skin pattern contrast on different backgrounds. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11124. [PMID: 38476704 PMCID: PMC10928359 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11124] [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: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
The two scorpionfish species Scorpaena maderensis and S. porcus are well camouflaged ambush predators that rapidly change body colouration to adjust to background colour in less than 1 min. We tested whether individuals of both species also adjust body pattern to that of the background. We placed fish on backgrounds of different pattern granularity and quantified the change in fish body pattern over 1 min. We used calibrated image analysis to analyse the patterns from the visual perspective of a prey fish species using a granularity (pattern energy) analysis and an image clustering approach. In our experiment, fish did not change their most contrasting pattern components as defined by the dominant marking size, but changed their average marking size. Moreover, fish responded with a change in pattern in contrast to the different experimental backgrounds, especially when compared to the acclimation phase. These results indicate that scorpionfish have one main pattern that can be adjusted by modulating its internal contrast. A reduction in pattern contrast could thereby improve background matching, while an increase could promote camouflage via disruptive colouration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonie John
- Animal Evolutionary EcologyInstitute of Evolution and Ecology, University of TübingenTübingenGermany
| | - Matteo Santon
- Ecology of Vision Group, School of Biological SciencesUniversity of BristolBristolUK
| | - Nico K. Michiels
- Animal Evolutionary EcologyInstitute of Evolution and Ecology, University of TübingenTübingenGermany
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Kozlov M. CRISPR and 'e-ink': new tools could reveal the secrets of cuttlefish camouflage. Nature 2023:10.1038/d41586-023-03558-6. [PMID: 37978280 DOI: 10.1038/d41586-023-03558-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
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Montague TG. Neural control of cephalopod camouflage. Curr Biol 2023; 33:R1095-R1100. [PMID: 37875091 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.08.095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
In Die Another Day, James Bond receives an Aston Martin that can render itself invisible by dynamically reproducing the surroundings on the car's "polymer skin". In what is widely regarded as the worst Bond movie ever, the invisible car scene is cited as the moment the plot plunges into the truly absurd. But what if nature had actually invented such a technology, and did so hundreds of millions of years ago? The coleoid cephalopods - octopus, cuttlefish and squid - are living examples of dynamic camouflage. Their skin is covered with a high-resolution array of 'cellular pixels' (chromatophores) that are controlled by the brain. To disappear into their surroundings, cephalopods recreate an approximation of their environment on their skin by activating different combinations of colored chromatophores. However, unlike the fictional Bond car, whose surface is coated in tiny cameras to detect the environment, cephalopods don't see the world with their skin. Instead, the visual world is detected by the eyes, processed in the brain, and then used to activate motor commands that direct the skin's camouflage pattern. Thus, cephalopod skin patterns are an external manifestation of their internal perception of the world. How do cephalopods approximate the world with their skin? What can this teach us about how brains work? And which neurobiological tools will be needed to uncover the neural basis of camouflage?
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Affiliation(s)
- Tessa G Montague
- The Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
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Gutnick T, Rokhsar DS, Kuba MJ. Cephalopod behaviour. Curr Biol 2023; 33:R1083-R1086. [PMID: 37875088 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.08.094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
Underlying all animal behaviors, from the simplest reflexive reactions to the more complex cognitive reasoning and social interaction, are nervous systems uniquely adapted to bodies, environments, and challenges of different animal species. Coleoid cephalopods - octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish - are widely recognized as the most behaviorally complex invertebrates and provide exciting opportunities for studying the neural control of behaviour. These unusual molluscs evolved over 400 million years ago from slow-moving armored forms to active predators of coastal and open ocean ecosystems. In this primer we will discuss how, during cephalopod evolution, the relatively simple ganglion-based molluscan nervous system has been extensively transformed to control the complex bodies and process extensive visual, tactile, and chemical sensory inputs, and summarize some recent findings about their fascinating behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamar Gutnick
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cintia 26, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Daniel S Rokhsar
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Molecular Genetics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Onna, Okinawa 904-0412, Japan; Chan-Zuckerberg BioHub, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Michael J Kuba
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cintia 26, 80126 Naples, Italy.
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Pophale A, Shimizu K, Mano T, Iglesias TL, Martin K, Hiroi M, Asada K, Andaluz PG, Van Dinh TT, Meshulam L, Reiter S. Wake-like skin patterning and neural activity during octopus sleep. Nature 2023; 619:129-134. [PMID: 37380770 PMCID: PMC10322707 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06203-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
While sleeping, many vertebrate groups alternate between at least two sleep stages: rapid eye movement and slow wave sleep1-4, in part characterized by wake-like and synchronous brain activity, respectively. Here we delineate neural and behavioural correlates of two stages of sleep in octopuses, marine invertebrates that evolutionarily diverged from vertebrates roughly 550 million years ago (ref. 5) and have independently evolved large brains and behavioural sophistication. 'Quiet' sleep in octopuses is rhythmically interrupted by approximately 60-s bouts of pronounced body movements and rapid changes in skin patterning and texture6. We show that these bouts are homeostatically regulated, rapidly reversible and come with increased arousal threshold, representing a distinct 'active' sleep stage. Computational analysis of active sleep skin patterning reveals diverse dynamics through a set of patterns conserved across octopuses and strongly resembling those seen while awake. High-density electrophysiological recordings from the central brain reveal that the local field potential (LFP) activity during active sleep resembles that of waking. LFP activity differs across brain regions, with the strongest activity during active sleep seen in the superior frontal and vertical lobes, anatomically connected regions associated with learning and memory function7-10. During quiet sleep, these regions are relatively silent but generate LFP oscillations resembling mammalian sleep spindles11,12 in frequency and duration. The range of similarities with vertebrates indicates that aspects of two-stage sleep in octopuses may represent convergent features of complex cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditi Pophale
- Computational Neuroethology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Kazumichi Shimizu
- Computational Neuroethology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Tomoyuki Mano
- Computational Neuroethology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Teresa L Iglesias
- Marine Animal Research Support Team, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Kerry Martin
- Computational Neuroethology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Makoto Hiroi
- Computational Neuroethology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Keishu Asada
- Computational Neuroethology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Paulette García Andaluz
- Computational Neuroethology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Thi Thu Van Dinh
- Computational Neuroethology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Leenoy Meshulam
- Theoretical Sciences Visiting Program, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
- Computational Neuroscience Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Sam Reiter
- Computational Neuroethology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan.
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