@article {1788, title = {Imaging brain activity during complex social behaviors in Drosophila with Flyception2.}, journal = {Nat Commun}, volume = {11}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 01 30}, pages = {623}, abstract = {

Optical in vivo recordings from freely walking Drosophila are currently possible only for limited behaviors. Here, we expand the range of accessible behaviors with a retroreflective marker-based tracking and ratiometric brain imaging system, permitting brain activity imaging even in copulating male flies. We discover that P1 neurons, active during courtship, are inactive during copulation, whereas GABAergic mAL neurons remain active during copulation, suggesting a countervailing role of mAL in opposing P1 activity during mating.

}, keywords = {Animals, Brain, Copulation, Courtship, Drosophila, Drosophila Proteins, Female, GABAergic Neurons, Male, Neuroimaging, Neurons, Olfactory Cortex, Sexual Behavior, Animal, Social Behavior}, issn = {2041-1723}, doi = {10.1038/s41467-020-14487-7}, author = {Grover, Dhruv and Katsuki, Takeo and Li, Jinfang and Dawkins, Thomas J and Greenspan, Ralph J} } @article {1468, title = {Neurotransmitter Switching Regulated by miRNAs Controls Changes in Social Preference.}, journal = {Neuron}, volume = {95}, year = {2017}, month = {2017 Sep 13}, pages = {1319-1333.e5}, abstract = {

Changes in social preference of amphibian larvae result from sustained exposure to kinship odorants. To understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms of this neuroplasticity, we investigated the effects of olfactory system activation on neurotransmitter (NT) expression in accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) interneurons during development. We show that protracted exposure to kin or non-kin odorants\ changes the number of dopamine (DA)- or gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA)-expressing neurons, with\ corresponding changes in attraction/aversion behavior. Changing the relative number of dopaminergic and GABAergic AOB interneurons or locally introducing DA or GABA receptor antagonists alters kinship preference. We then isolate AOB microRNAs (miRs) differentially regulated across these conditions. Inhibition of miR-375 and miR-200b reveals that they target Pax6 and Bcl11b to regulate the dopaminergic and GABAergic phenotypes. The results illuminate the role of NT switching governing experience-dependent social preference. VIDEO ABSTRACT.

}, keywords = {Animals, Choice Behavior, Dopamine, Dopamine Antagonists, GABA Antagonists, gamma-Aminobutyric Acid, Interneurons, MicroRNAs, Neurons, Neurotransmitter Agents, Olfactory Bulb, PAX6 Transcription Factor, Pheromones, Siblings, Social Behavior, Transcription Factors, Xenopus laevis, Xenopus Proteins}, issn = {1097-4199}, doi = {10.1016/j.neuron.2017.08.023}, author = {Dulcis, Davide and Lippi, Giordano and Stark, Christiana J and Do, Long H and Berg, Darwin K and Spitzer, Nicholas C} } @article {1681, title = {Marmosets: A Neuroscientific Model of Human Social Behavior.}, journal = {Neuron}, volume = {90}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 04 20}, pages = {219-33}, abstract = {

The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) has garnered interest recently as a powerful model for the future of neuroscience research. Much of this excitement has centered on the species{\textquoteright} reproductive biology and compatibility with gene editing techniques, which together have provided a path for transgenic marmosets to contribute to the study of disease as well as basic brain mechanisms. In step with technical advances is the need to establish experimental paradigms that optimally tap into the marmosets{\textquoteright} behavioral and cognitive capacities. While conditioned task performance of a marmoset can compare unfavorably with rhesus monkey performance on conventional testing paradigms, marmosets{\textquoteright} social behavior and cognition are more similar to that of humans. For example, marmosets are among only a handful of primates that, like humans, routinely pair bond and care cooperatively for their young. They are also notably pro-social and exhibit social cognitive abilities, such as imitation, that are rare outside of the Apes. In this Primer, we describe key facets of marmoset natural social behavior and demonstrate that emerging behavioral paradigms are well suited to isolate components of marmoset cognition that are highly relevant to humans. These approaches generally embrace natural behavior, which has been rare in conventional primate testing, and thus allow for a new consideration of neural mechanisms underlying primate social cognition and signaling. We anticipate that through parallel technical and paradigmatic advances, marmosets will\ become an essential model of human social behavior, including its dysfunction in neuropsychiatric disorders.

}, keywords = {Animals, Animals, Genetically Modified, Brain, Callithrix, Cognition, Disease Models, Animal, Eye Movements, Haplorhini, Humans, Models, Animal, Rodentia, Social Behavior, Social Behavior Disorders, Vocalization, Animal}, issn = {1097-4199}, doi = {10.1016/j.neuron.2016.03.018}, author = {Miller, Cory T and Freiwald, Winrich A and Leopold, David A and Mitchell, Jude F and Silva, Afonso C and Wang, Xiaoqin} } @article {1673, title = {Distinct neural correlates of emotional and cognitive empathy in older adults.}, journal = {Psychiatry Res}, volume = {232}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Apr 30}, pages = {42-50}, abstract = {

Empathy is thought to be a mechanism underlying prosocial behavior across the lifespan, yet little is known about how levels of empathy relate to individual differences in brain functioning among older adults. In this exploratory study, we examined the neural correlates of affective and cognitive empathy in older adults. Thirty older adults (M=79 years) underwent fMRI scanning and neuropsychological testing and completed a test of affective and cognitive empathy. Brain response during processing of cognitive and emotional stimuli was measured by fMRI in a priori and task-related regions and was correlated with levels of empathy. Older adults with higher levels of affective empathy showed more deactivation in the amygdala and insula during a working memory task, whereas those with higher cognitive empathy showed greater insula activation during a response inhibition task. Our preliminary findings suggest that brain systems linked to emotional and social processing respond differently among older adults with more or less affective and cognitive empathy. That these relationships can be seen both during affective and non-emotional tasks of "cold" cognitive abilities suggests that empathy may impact social behavior through both emotional and cognitive mechanisms.

}, keywords = {Affect, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Brain, Brain Mapping, Cognition, Emotions, Empathy, Female, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Neuropsychological Tests, Social Behavior, Social Perception}, issn = {1872-7123}, doi = {10.1016/j.pscychresns.2014.10.016}, author = {Moore, Raeanne C and Dev, Sheena I and Jeste, Dilip V and Dziobek, Isabel and Eyler, Lisa T} } @article {1679, title = {The marmoset monkey as a model for visual neuroscience.}, journal = {Neurosci Res}, volume = {93}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Apr}, pages = {20-46}, abstract = {

The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) has been valuable as a primate model in biomedical research. Interest in this species has grown recently, in part due to the successful demonstration of transgenic marmosets. Here we examine the prospects of the marmoset model for visual neuroscience research, adopting a comparative framework to place the marmoset within a broader evolutionary context. The marmoset{\textquoteright}s small brain bears most of the organizational features of other primates, and its smooth surface offers practical advantages over the macaque for areal mapping, laminar electrode penetration, and two-photon and optical imaging. Behaviorally, marmosets are more limited at performing regimented psychophysical tasks, but do readily accept the head restraint that is necessary for accurate eye tracking and neurophysiology, and can perform simple discriminations. Their natural gaze behavior closely resembles that of other primates, with a tendency to focus on objects of social interest including faces. Their immaturity at birth and routine twinning also makes them ideal for the study of postnatal visual development. These experimental factors, together with the theoretical advantages inherent in comparing anatomy, physiology, and behavior across related species, make the marmoset an excellent model for visual neuroscience.

}, keywords = {Animals, Biological Evolution, Brain, Callithrix, Color Perception, Color Vision, Exploratory Behavior, Macaca, Models, Animal, Social Behavior, Vision, Binocular, Vision, Ocular, Visual Perception}, issn = {1872-8111}, doi = {10.1016/j.neures.2015.01.008}, author = {Mitchell, Jude F and Leopold, David A} } @article {181, title = {Atypical social referencing in infant siblings of children with autism spectrum disorders.}, journal = {J Autism Dev Disord}, volume = {42}, year = {2012}, month = {2012 Dec}, pages = {2611-21}, abstract = {

Social referencing was investigated in 18-month-old siblings of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD; "high-risk infants"). Infants were exposed to novel toys, which were emotionally tagged via adults{\textquoteright} facial and vocal signals. Infants{\textquoteright} information seeking (initiation of joint attention with an adult) and their approach/withdrawal behavior toward the toys before versus after the adults{\textquoteright} emotional signals was measured. Compared to both typically developing infants and high-risk infants without ASD, infants later diagnosed with ASD engaged in slower information seeking, suggesting that this aspect of referencing may be an early indicator of ASD. High-risk infants, both those who were and those who were not later diagnosed with ASD, exhibited impairments in regulating their behavior based on the adults{\textquoteright} emotional signals, suggesting that this aspect of social referencing may reflect an endophenotype for ASD.

}, keywords = {Attention, Child, Child Development, Child Development Disorders, Pervasive, Child, Preschool, Emotions, Endophenotypes, Female, Humans, Infant, Infant Behavior, Male, Risk Factors, Siblings, Social Behavior}, issn = {1573-3432}, doi = {10.1007/s10803-012-1518-8}, author = {Cornew, Lauren and Dobkins, Karen R and Akshoomoff, Natacha and McCleery, Joseph P and Carver, Leslie J} } @article {162, title = {Biological indeterminacy.}, journal = {Sci Eng Ethics}, volume = {18}, year = {2012}, month = {2012 Sep}, pages = {447-52}, abstract = {

Reductionist explanations in biology generally assume that biological mechanisms are highly deterministic and basically similar between individuals. A contrasting view has emerged recently that takes into account the degeneracy of biological processes--the ability to arrive at a given endpoint by a variety of available paths, even within the same individual. This perspective casts significant doubt on the prospects for the ability to predict behavior accurately based on brain imaging or genotyping, and on the ability of neuroscience to stipulate ethics.

}, keywords = {Brain, Genotype, Humans, Models, Biological, Morals, Neuroimaging, Neurosciences, Psychophysiology, Social Behavior}, issn = {1471-5546}, doi = {10.1007/s11948-012-9379-2}, author = {Greenspan, Ralph J} }