Mapping the landscape of social behavior

Cell, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: March 1, 2025

Language: Английский

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Capturing continuous, long timescale behavioral changes in Drosophila melanogaster postural data

PLoS Computational Biology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 21(2), P. e1012753 - e1012753

Published: Feb. 3, 2025

Animal behavior spans many timescales, from short, seconds-scale actions to daily rhythms over hours life-long changes during aging. To access longer timescales of behavior, we continuously recorded individual Drosophila melanogaster at 100 frames per second for up 7 days a time in featureless arenas on sucrose-agarose media. We use the deep learning framework SLEAP produce full-body postural dataset 47 individuals resulting nearly 2 billion pose instances. identify stereotyped behaviors such as grooming, proboscis extension, and locomotion ethograms explore how flies' varies across day experiment. find distinct patterns all behaviors, adding specific information about trends different grooming modalities, extension duration, speed what is known D. circadian cycle. Using our holistic measurements that hour after dawn unique point pattern behavioral composition this tracks well with other indicators health fraction spend moving vs. resting. The method, data, analysis presented here give us new clearer picture revealing novel features hint unexplored underlying biological mechanisms.

Language: Английский

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Characterizing the structure of mouse behavior using Motion Sequencing

Nature Protocols, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 19(11), P. 3242 - 3291

Published: June 26, 2024

Language: Английский

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Reproducible and fully automated testing of nocifensive behavior in mice

Cell Reports Methods, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 3(12), P. 100650 - 100650

Published: Dec. 1, 2023

Language: Английский

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Challenges and advanced concepts for the assessment of learning and memory function in mice

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 17

Published: Sept. 21, 2023

The mechanisms underlying the formation and retrieval of memories are still an active area research discussion. Manifold models have been proposed refined over years, with most assuming a dichotomy between memory processes involving non-conscious conscious mechanisms. Despite our incomplete understanding mechanisms, tests learning count among performed behavioral experiments. Here, we will discuss available protocols for testing using example prevalent animal species in research, laboratory mouse. A wide range has developed mice to test, e.g., object recognition, spatial learning, procedural memory, sequential problem solving, operant- fear conditioning, social recognition. Those assays carried out individual subjects apparatuses such as arenas mazes, which allow high degree standardization across laboratories straightforward data interpretation but not without caveats limitations. In there is growing concern about translatability study results welfare, leading novel approaches beyond established protocols. present some more recent developments advanced concepts testing, multi-step lockboxes, groups animals, well home cage-based supported by automated tracking solutions; weight their potential limitations against those paradigms. Shifting focus from classical experimental chamber settings natural rodents comes new set challenges researchers, also offers opportunity understand conclusive way than attainable conventional test We predict embrace increase studies relying on methods higher automatization, naturalistic- setting integrated tasks future. confident these trends suited alleviate burden improve designs research.

Language: Английский

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Quantifying social roles in multi-animal videos using subject-aware deep-learning

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

Published: July 10, 2024

ABSTRACT Analyzing social behaviors is critical for many fields, including neuroscience, psychology, and ecology. While computational tools have been developed to analyze videos containing animals engaging in limited interactions under specific experimental conditions, automated identification of the roles freely moving individuals a multi-animal group remains unresolved. Here we describe deep-learning-based system – named LabGym2 identifying quantifying groups. This uses subject-aware approach: it evaluates behavioral state every individual two or more while factoring its environmental surroundings. We demonstrate performance deep-learning different species assays, from partner preference freely-moving insects primate field. Our deep learning approach provides controllable, interpretable, efficient framework enable new paradigms systematic evaluation interactive behavior identified within group.

Language: Английский

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Vestibular circuit stimulation for retuning locomotor dynamics in Parkinson's disease

Research Square (Research Square), Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Feb. 10, 2025

Postural and locomotor dysfunction represent axial symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD), remaining poorly treated by medication deep brain stimulation. Non-invasive neuromodulation the vestibular system, centered on nucleus complex (VNC), offers a novel therapeutic avenue. However, underlying circuits remain ill-explored. In this study, we found that VNC in mice feeds extensive Vglut2-defined projections into striato-thalamo-subthalamic caudal medulla motor hubs, but not mesencephalic region. Optoactivation excitatory neurons below threshold for promoted activity these basal ganglia-brainstem axis targets. Unbiased analysis pose dynamics revealed global enhancement behavioural transitions locomotion, confirmed regular kinematic analyses. Therapeutically, it enabled resynchronization naturalistic gait patterns improved performance, capacity, parkinsonian mice. Our data identify circuit processes retuning context PD.

Language: Английский

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vmTracking enables highly accurate multi-animal pose tracking in crowded environments

PLoS Biology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 23(2), P. e3003002 - e3003002

Published: Feb. 10, 2025

In multi-animal tracking, addressing occlusion and crowding is crucial for accurate behavioral analysis. However, in situations where generate complex interactions, achieving pose tracking remains challenging. Therefore, we introduced virtual marker (vmTracking), which uses markers individual identification. Virtual are labels derived from conventional markerless tools, such as DeepLabCut (maDLC) Social LEAP Estimate Animal Poses (SLEAP). Unlike physical markers, exist only within the video attribute features to individuals, enabling consistent identification throughout entire while keeping animals reality. Using these cues, annotations were applied videos, was conducted with single-animal (saDLC) SLEAP’s method. vmTracking minimized manual corrections annotation frames needed training, efficiently tackling crowding. Experiments multiple mice, fish, human dancers confirmed vmTracking’s variability applicability. These findings could enhance precision reliability of methods used analysis naturalistic social behaviors animals, providing a simpler yet more effective solution.

Language: Английский

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Timing matters: modeling the effects of gestational cannabis exposure on social behavior and microglia in the developing amygdala

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Feb. 18, 2025

Cannabis is the most frequently used illicit drug during pregnancy, with use steadily increasing in United States as legalization and decriminalization expand to more states. Many pregnant individuals cannabis reduce adverse symptoms of considering it be less harmful than other pharmaceuticals or alcohol. The primary psychoactive component cannabis, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), acts on endocannabinoid (eCB) system, yet whether perturbs neural development fetus poorly understood. Previously we have shown that androgen mediated eCB tone developing amygdala promotes microglial phagocytosis newborn astrocytes which has enduring consequences circuits regulating sex differences social behavior. Microglia are resident immune cells brain express both receptors CB1R CB2R, making them likely targets modulation by THC. It also plausible exposure THC at differing gestational timepoints can result distinct outcomes, case alcohol exposure. To model human either late early exposed rodents directly postnatal period via intraperitoneal (IP) injection utero prenatal dam IP respectively. Here show results specific changes well behavior juvenile period. Interestingly resulted inverse These findings highlight differential effects across gestation.

Language: Английский

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Olfactory bulb tracks breathing rhythms and place in freely behaving mice

Published: March 11, 2025

Vertebrates sniff to control the odor samples that enter their nose. These can not only help identify odorous objects, but also locations and events. However, there is no receptor for place or time. Therefore, take full advantage of olfactory information, an animal’s brain must contextualize odor-driven activity with information about when, where, how they sniffed. To better understand contextual in system, we captured breathing movements mice while recording from bulb. In stimulus- task-free experiments, structure into persistent rhythmic states which are synchronous statelike ongoing neuronal population activity. reflect a strong dependence individual neuron on variation frequency, display using “sniff fields” quantify generalized linear models. addition, many bulb neurons have “place significant firing allocentric location, were comparable hippocampal recorded under same conditions. At level, mouse’s location be decoded similar accuracy hippocampus. Olfactory sensitivity cannot explained by rhythms scent marks. Taken together, show mouse tracks self-location, may unite internal models self environment as soon enters brain.

Language: Английский

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