Article
Biology
Carl D. Holmgren, Paul Stahr, Damian J. Wallace, Kay-Michael Voit, Emily J. Matheson, Juergen Sawinski, Giacomo Bassetto, Jason N. D. Kerr
Summary: The study found that mice primarily use a specific area of their visual field when capturing insects, and track the prey through head movements rather than eye movements.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Meizhu Huang, Dapeng Li, Xinyu Cheng, Qing Pei, Zhiyong Xie, Huating Gu, Xuerong Zhang, Zijun Chen, Aixue Liu, Yi Wang, Fangmiao Sun, Yulong Li, Jiayi Zhang, Miao He, Yuan Xie, Fan Zhang, Xiangbing Qi, Congping Shang, Peng Cao
Summary: Appetitive locomotion is important for animals to approach rewards, but the neuronal circuitry controlling it is still unclear. Researchers discovered an excitatory brain circuit from the superior colliculus to the substantia nigra that enhances appetitive locomotion in mice during predatory hunting, depending on the activity of SNc dopamine neurons.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Keith P. Johnson, Michael J. Fitzpatrick, Lei Zhao, Bing Wang, Sean McCracken, Philip R. Williams, Daniel Kerschensteiner
Summary: This study found that mice trace crickets with their binocular vision and that only a small subset of RGCs in the mouse retina innervate brain areas to support hunting success. Specifically, selective ablation of less than 2% of ipsi-RGCs greatly reduces the hunting success of mice, demonstrating the importance of a spatially restricted and cell-type-specific set of RGCs in guiding predation.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sergio Rossoni, Jeremy E. Niven
Summary: The movements of animal appendages are determined by extrinsic and intrinsic forces. For lightweight appendages, such as insect limbs, movements depend more upon intrinsic than extrinsic forces. However, the role of passive properties in insects' goal-directed limb movements is unclear. Through studies on mantids, it was discovered that they utilize braking to slow passive flexion and achieve targeted reaching and searching movements.
Article
Biology
Sebastian H. Zahler, David E. Taylor, Joey Y. Wong, Julia M. Adams, Evan H. Feinberg
Summary: The study shows that mice can make sensory-guided gaze shifts involving both eye movements and attempted head movements. The flexibility of mouse gaze shifts is revealed under head-fixed conditions, offering insights into the characteristics of mouse gaze shifts and laying the foundation for studying the coupling between head and eye movements.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Gina F. Lamka, Autum N. Auxier, Ally Swank, Katie Esarey, Hannah R. Mullinax, Ryan D. Seymour, Jessica L. Ward
Summary: Harmful algal blooms pose a growing environmental concern in aquatic systems. This study found that exposure to the neurotoxin BMAA can impair the development and behavior of larval Fathead Minnows, affecting their ability to capture prey and evade predators. These findings suggest that chronic exposure to neurodegenerative cyanotoxins may alter predator-prey interactions in natural systems by impairing an animal's ability to perceive, process, and respond to relevant biotic stimuli.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Biology
Luis Espinasa, Kayla-Ann Lewis
Summary: This study found that the larvae of blind cavefish, Astyanax mexicanus, still exhibit the oculomotor behavior of eye convergence despite being adapted to a lightless environment. Eye convergence responses in Astyanax can be triggered by vibrations at frequencies similar to those generated by prey.
SUBTERRANEAN BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Vladislav Susoy, Wesley Hung, Daniel Witvliet, Joshua E. Whitener, Min Wu, Core Francisco Park, Brett J. Graham, Mei Zhen, Vivek Venkatachalam, Aravinthan D. T. Samuel
Summary: This study uses brain-wide neuronal imaging to investigate the mating behavior of C. elegans males, revealing that the brain operates similarly between instances of each behavior component but distinctly between different components. The functional correlations between neurons are not fixed, but change with behavioral dynamics, showing how diverse brain-wide dynamics emerge from the integration of sensory perception and motor actions in their natural context.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Vesna Klokocovnik, Dusan Devetak
Summary: Traps constructed by animals reduce the energy required for seeking prey and increase capture success. However, the main risk for trap-building animals is the uncertainty of encountering prey due to their immobility. Certain environmental characteristics can hinder the construction of efficient traps and result in lower capture success.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Lihong Chen, Junfei Zhou, Tiantian Li, Zhiwei Fang, Lun Li, Gang Huang, Lifen Gao, Xiaobo Zhu, Xusheng Zhou, Huafeng Xiao, Jing Zhang, QiJie Xiong, Jianan Zhang, Aijin Ma, Wenxue Zhai, Weixiong Zhang, Hai Peng
Summary: This study developed a high-throughput and contamination-removal GMO detection approach named GmoDetector, which can exclude donor (micro)organism contamination and detect authorized and unauthorized GMOs in various forms with a sensitivity as low as 0.1%.
FOOD RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Patrick K. Monari, Nathaniel S. Rieger, Juliette Schefelker, Catherine A. Marler
Summary: The study found that oxytocin has an impact on behavioral coordination in bonded animals, with OT leading to increased behavioral consistency in pairs and no change in behavior in unpaired females. Additionally, OT increased time spent together in pairs while decreasing the proportion of vocalizations associated with conflict.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Carmen Winters, Wim Gorssen, Victoria A. Ossorio-Salazar, Simon Nilsson, Sam Golden, Rudi D'Hooge
Summary: This study proposes a novel procedure using machine learning algorithms to assess pup-directed maternal care in laboratory rodents. Their automated procedure achieved high accuracy in estimating retrieval success and behavioral classification of approach, carry, and digging.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Nicola Grignoli, Chiara Filipponi, Serena Petrocchi
Summary: This paper discusses the importance of psychological science in the current pandemic situation, emphasizing empathy as a key factor in promoting prosocial behavior. However, there is still a lack of visibility and implementation in this field of research. The paper provides a clear foundation on the role of empathy during stressful events, and outlines innovative interventions such as fiction, film, and theater to trigger empathic responses in the public, as well as interactive ways to elicit empathetic feelings.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Na Tan, Jiaying Shi, Lingyu Xu, Yanrong Zheng, Xia Wang, Nanxi Lai, Zhuowen Fang, Jialu Chen, Yi Wang, Zhong Chen
Summary: This study deciphers the function and neural circuit basis of lateral hypothalamus CaMKII alpha(+) neurons in hunting behavior. These neurons integrate novelty-seeking signals from the medial preoptic area and promote predatory eating.
Article
Biology
Florian A. Dehmelt, Rebecca Meier, Julian Hinz, Takeshi Yoshimatsu, Clara A. Simacek, Ruoyu Huang, Kun Wang, Tom Baden, Aristides B. Arrenberg
Summary: By studying the optokinetic response of immobilized zebrafish larvae to stimuli of different sizes and locations, it was found that their reaction is not solely dependent on the degree of eye yoking, but also influenced by spatial densities of photoreceptors and additional extra-retinal processing. The results indicate that the motion vision circuits in zebrafish are anisotropic, preferentially monitoring areas with putative behavioral relevance.
Article
Neurosciences
Jennifer L. Hoy, Cristopher M. Niell
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2015)
Article
Neurosciences
Jennifer L. Hoy, Paola A. Haeger, John R. L. Constable, Renee J. Arias, Raluca McCallum, Michael Kyweriga, Lawrence Davis, Eric Schnell, Michael Wehr, Pablo E. Castillo, Philip Washbourne
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2013)
Article
Neurosciences
Jennifer L. Hoy, John R. Constable, Stefano Vicini, Zhanyan Fu, Philip Washbourne
MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2009)
Article
Neurosciences
A. Moses Lee, Jennifer L. Hoy, Antonello Bonci, Linda Wilbrecht, Michael P. Stryker, Cristopher M. Niell
Editorial Material
Neurosciences
Nicole Procacci, Jennifer L. Hoy
NATURE NEUROSCIENCE
(2019)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jennifer L. Hoy, Hannah I. Bishop, Cristopher M. Niell
Article
Biology
Nicole M. Procacci, Kelsey M. Allen, Gael E. Robb, Rebecca Ijekah, Hudson Lynam, Jennifer L. Hoy
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2020)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kelsey Allen, Rocio Gonzalez-Olvera, Milen Kumar, Ting Feng, Simon Pieraut, Jennifer L. Hoy
Summary: This study investigates the integration of binocular information in mice and its correlation with visual behavior development. The findings reveal a deficit in binocular visual field processing in developing mice, which is associated with changes in activity in the anterior superior colliculus.