Social behavior: A tiny fish with prodigious skills

Current Biology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 35(2), P. R62 - R64

Published: Jan. 1, 2025

Language: Английский

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Development of sound production in Danionella cerebrum

Journal of Experimental Biology, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 227(16)

Published: Aug. 15, 2024

ABSTRACT Acoustic signalling, integral to intraspecific communication and reproductive behaviour, undergoes notable changes during an animal's ontogenetic development. The onset progression of this maturation in fish remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the ontogeny acoustic miniature teleost Danionella cerebrum, one smallest known vertebrates emerging model organism. Its adult males produce audible clicks that appear sequences with a repetition rate ∼60 or ∼120 Hz, caused by consecutive unilateral alternating bilateral compressions swim bladder. To investigate ability, performed long-term sound recordings morphological studies production apparatus D. cerebrum throughout its We found start producing second month their lives continually increase abundance structured over course following 1 2 months. machinery, including specialised bone cartilage structures, starts form after approximately 4 weeks prior reaching sexual maturity. Although amplitude as animals mature, click rates 60 120 Hz are stable This suggests fully mature pattern generation juvenile males, yet continued development drumming capable creating louder sounds.

Language: Английский

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Visually guided and context-dependent spatial navigation in the translucent fish Danionella cerebrum

Current Biology, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 33(24), P. 5467 - 5477.e4

Published: Dec. 1, 2023

Danionella cerebrum (DC) is a promising vertebrate animal model for systems neuroscience due to its small adult brain volume and inherent optical transparency, but the scope of their cognitive abilities remains an area active research. In this work, we established behavioral paradigm study visual spatial navigation in DC investigate navigational capabilities strategies. We initially observed that exhibit strong negative phototaxis groups less so as individuals. Using dark preference motivator, designed task inspired by Morris water maze. Through series environmental cue manipulations, found utilize cues anticipate reward location evidence landmark-based strategies wherein could use both proximal distal cues. When subsets were occluded, capable using distant contextual information solve task, providing allocentric navigation. Without cues, tended seek out direct line sight with at least one while maintaining positional bias toward location. total, our results suggest can be used neural mechanisms underlying cellular resolution imaging across brain.

Language: Английский

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Label‐Free Multiphoton Imaging Reveals Volumetric Shifts Across Development in Sensory‐Related Brain Regions of a Miniature Transparent Vertebrate

The Journal of Comparative Neurology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 533(4)

Published: April 1, 2025

ABSTRACT Animals integrate information from different sensory modalities as they mature and perform increasingly complex behaviors. This may parallel differential investment in specific brain regions depending on the changing demands of inputs. To investigate developmental changes volume canonical regions, we used third harmonic generation imaging for morphometric analysis forebrain midbrain larval through juvenile adult stages Danionella dracula , a transparent, miniature teleost fish whose is optically accessible throughout its lifespan. Relative to whole‐brain volume, increased or telencephalon, higher order integration center, shows most dramatic increases between 30–60 days postfertilization (dpf) again at 90 dpf animals reach adulthood. The torus longitudinalis (TL), visuomotor also significantly 60 dpf. In contrast, optic tectum (TeO), retinal‐recipient target, progressively decreases 30 dpf, whereas relatively consistent across all semicircularis (TS), secondary auditory mechanosensory lateral line olfactory bulb (OB), direct target epithelium. sum, higher‐order centers (telencephalon, TL) occurs juveniles adulthood (60–90 dpf) exhibit more cognitive tasks, modality‐dominant earlier (TeO) development (TS, OB). Complete optical access ’s lifespan provides unique opportunity how structure over correlates with connectivity, microcircuitry, behavior.

Language: Английский

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Understanding collective behavior through neurobiology

Current Opinion in Neurobiology, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 86, P. 102866 - 102866

Published: June 1, 2024

A variety of organisms exhibit collective movement, including schooling fish and flocking birds, where coordinated behavior emerges from the interactions between group members. Despite prevalence movement in nature, little is known about neural mechanisms producing each individual's within group. Here we discuss how a neurobiological approach can enrich our understanding by determining which individuals interact. We provide examples sensory systems for social communication during highlight recent discoveries detecting position actions partners, opportunities future research. Understanding neurobiology insight into nervous function dynamic world.

Language: Английский

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Establishment of the miniature fish speciesDanionella translucidaas a genetically and optically tractable neuroscience model

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2018, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Oct. 16, 2018

Summary Integrative studies of the diverse neuronal networks that govern social behavior are hindered by lack methods to record neural activity comprehensively across entire brain. The recent development miniature fish Danionella cerebrum as a model organism offers one potential solution, small size and optical transparency these animals makes it possible visualize circuit throughout nervous system 1–4 . Here, we establish feasibility using for socially reinforced learning showing adult exhibit strong affiliative tendencies, interactions can serve reinforcer in an appetitive conditioning paradigm. Fish exhibited acute ability identify conspecifics distinguish them from closely related species, which was mediated both visual particularly olfactory cues. These behaviors were abolished pharmacological genetic interference with oxytocin signaling, demonstrating conservation key mechanisms observed other vertebrates 5–11 Our work validates tool understanding brain general, its modulation neuropeptide signaling particular.

Language: Английский

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Neural basis of collective social behavior during environmental challenge

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Sept. 19, 2024

ABSTRACT Humans and animals have a remarkable capacity to collectively coordinate their behavior respond environmental challenges. However, the underlying neurobiology remains poorly understood. Here, we found that groups of mice self-organize into huddles at cold ambient temperature during thermal challenge assay. We make active (self-initiated) passive (partner-initiated) decisions enter or exit huddle. Using microendoscopic calcium imaging, are encoded distinctly within dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC). Silencing dmPFC activity in some reduced decision-making, but also induced compensatory increase by non-manipulated partners, conserving group’s overall huddle time. These findings reveal how collective is implemented neurobiological mechanisms meet homeostatic needs

Language: Английский

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Oxytocin-mediated social preference and socially reinforced reward learning in the miniature fish Danionella cerebrum

Current Biology, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Dec. 1, 2024

Language: Английский

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Danionella fishes

Nature Methods, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 21(10), P. 1767 - 1769

Published: Oct. 1, 2024

Language: Английский

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Divergent Visuomotor Strategies in Teleosts: Neural Circuit Mechanisms in Zebrafish and Danionella cerebrum

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Nov. 23, 2024

Abstract Many animals respond to sensory cues with species-specific coordinated movements successfully navigate their environment. However, the neural mechanisms that support diverse sensorimotor transformations across species distinct navigational strategies remain largely unexplored. By comparing related teleost species, zebrafish ( Danio rerio, ZF ) and Danionella cerebrum DC ), we investigated behavioral patterns architectures during visually guided optomotor response (OMR). Closed-loop tracking visual stimulation revealed larval employ burst-and-glide locomotion, while display continuous, smooth swimming punctuated sharp directional turns. Although achieve higher average speeds, they lack direction-dependent velocity modulation observed in . Whole-brain two-photon calcium imaging tail head-fixed fish reveals both exhibit direction-selective motion encoding homologous regions, including retinorecipient pretectum, exhibiting fewer binocular, neurons overall. Kinematic analysis of behavior sustain significantly longer directed swim events all stimuli than , highlighting divergent visuomotor strategies, reducing movement duration oblique, turn-inducing stimuli. Lateralized motor-associated activity medial anterior hindbrain suggests a shared circuit motif, circuits independently control vigor direction. These findings highlight diversity among underscored by motifs, establish robust framework for unraveling driving continuous discrete paving way deeper insights into vertebrate functions. Research Highlights Larval faster matching direction motion. execute OMR smooth, curved patterns, interspersed share similar architecture, recruiting pretectal regions. demonstrate lateralized turns, particularly neurons. In Brief global low-angle consistently zebrafish. Fouke et al. use freely moving head fixed reveal an evolutionarily conserved architecture transforming locomotor behaviors. Graphical

Language: Английский

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