Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
David C. Jewett, Donisha S. N. K. Liyanagamage, Mark A. Vanden Avond, Molly A. B. Anderson, Kyleigh A. Twaroski, Morgan A. Marek, Kimberly F. James, Tapasya Pal, Anica Klockars, Pawel K. Olszewski, Allen S. Levine
Summary: The study demonstrates that rats given intermittent access to a sucrose solution can learn to discriminate between naltrexone and saline, and that sucrose intake can alter c-Fos IR expression in brain regions of rats.
Article
Neurosciences
Annuska Berz, Camila Pasquini de Souza, Markus Woehr, Sebastian Steinmueller, Maria Bruntsch, Martin K-H Schaefer, Rainer K. W. Schwarting
Summary: This study investigated the habituation of rats to repeated exposure to 50kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USV) and its relationship with the presence of contingent social consequences. The results showed that the habituation to the USV was not affected by the presence or absence of social consequences. Furthermore, no substantial activation of the nucleus accumbens was observed during the retest, while unexpected strong activation was detected in the anterior cingulate cortex, indicating its involvement in the response to the USV in individual rats.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jie Li, Shuang Liu, Chenmeng Song, Qun Hu, Zhikai Zhao, Tuantuan Deng, Yi Wang, Tong Zhu, Linzhi Zou, Shufeng Wang, Jiaofeng Chen, Lian Liu, Hanqing Hou, Kexin Yuan, Hairong Zheng, Zhiyong Liu, Xiaowei Chen, Wenzhi Sun, Bailong Xiao, Wei Xiong
Summary: The knockout of the mechanosensitive ion channel PIEZO2 in cochlea disrupts ultrasonic hearing in mice, but not low-frequency hearing. Deletion of Piezo2 in outer hair cells specifically abolishes associative learning in mice during hearing exposure at ultrasonic frequencies. The study demonstrates that OHCs serve as effector cells, combining with PIEZO2 as an essential molecule for ultrasonic hearing in mice.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Alessandra Franceschini, Giacomo Mazzamuto, Curzio Checcucci, Lorenzo Chicchi, Duccio Fanelli, Irene Costantini, Maria Beatrice Passani, Bianca Ambrogina Silva, Francesco Saverio Pavone, Ludovico Silvestri
Summary: Fear responses are adaptive behaviors strengthened as memories. Understanding the neural circuitry modulating fear memory is crucial for comprehension of this emotion and its pathological states. The brain-wide neuron quantification toolkit (BRANT) allows for mapping whole-brain neuronal activation at micron-scale resolution, providing a comprehensive characterization of the evolution of fear memory.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Derry Taylor, Erik Gustafsson, Guillaume Dezecache, Marina Davila-Ross
Summary: All living things can communicate, but only humans can use language to communicate. The origin of this unique ability is still a mystery to contemporary science. In a person's lifetime, language emerges from a complex developmental process. Therefore, understanding the vocal development of chimpanzees is crucial for understanding the evolutionary roots of language. In human development, language is built upon the early capacity for vocal functional flexibility, which means the ability to express the same vocalizations in different ways to achieve different functions. This study provides evidence for vocal functional flexibility in early chimpanzee vocal production and function, suggesting that the developmental foundations for language are rooted in our primate evolutionary heritage.
Article
Neurosciences
Nunzia Papotto, Sara Reithofer, Kaya Baumert, Richard Carr, Frank Mohrlen, Stephan Frings
Summary: This study showed that olfactory co-stimulation can alleviate aversive responses to noxious stimuli in mice and reduce neural activity in the SpVc, indicating a significant analgesic potential of odor stimulation in the trigeminal system.
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Cecilia Pardo-Bellver, Manuel E. Vila-Martin, Sergio Martinez-Bellver, Maria Villafranca-Faus, Anna Teruel-Sanchis, Camila A. Savarelli-Balsamo, Sylwia M. Drabik, Joana Martinez-Ricos, Ana Cervera-Ferri, Fernando Martinez-Garcia, Enrique Lanuza, Vicent Teruel-Marti
Summary: This study investigates the integration of chemosensory information in rodents, specifically the olfactory and vomeronasal systems. The results suggest that the amygdala plays a crucial role in controlling the activity of the olfactory bulbs, highlighting its active involvement in the integration of chemosensory information.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROANATOMY
(2022)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Aurelie De Valliere, Ana Catarina Lopes, Andrea Addorisio, Noah Gilliand, Monique Nenniger Tosato, Dean Wood, Julien Brechbuehl, Marie-Christine Broillet
Summary: Food preference is a conserved trait across different organisms, including humans. The ability to discriminate odors and make food choices is influenced by the olfactory marker protein (OMP) in mice. Mice lacking OMP display compensatory behaviors in odor discrimination and social contexts, leading to a compromised ability to differentiate olfactory messages, such as those involved in the social transmission of food preference.
FRONTIERS IN NUTRITION
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Rainer K. W. Schwarting
Summary: This review examines the introduction and scientific applications of 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations in rats, addresses methodological challenges, and discusses the interpretation of these vocalizations as communicative signals and indicators of emotional status.
NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anju Sharma, Bishal Kumar Saha, Rajnish Kumar, Pritish Kumar Varadwaj
Summary: The sense of smell is a complex process that involves various stages from odorants entering the nose to the brain recognizing the associated odor. OlfactionBase is a free web server that aims to gather knowledge about olfaction mechanisms in one place, providing detailed information on odors, odorants, and related components to aid in the understanding of olfaction.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Takefumi Kikusui, Miku Sonobe, Yuuki Yoshida, Miho Nagasawa, Elodie Ey, Fabrice de Chaumont, Thomas Bourgeron, Kensaku Nomoto, Kazutaka Mogi
Summary: The study found that testosterone treatment can increase the emission of USVs in both male and female mice, but the acoustic characteristics of TP-treated females were not the same as those of intact males.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Itay Shekel, Shaked Giladi, Eynav Raykin, May Weiner, Vered Chalifa-Caspi, Dror Lederman, Ora Kofman, Hava M. Golan
Summary: Research suggests that calls emitted by isolated pups may indicate communication deficits and autistic behavior. Changes in pup communication, especially in ASD models, show significant effects on factors such as start and end frequencies, bandwidth, and duration. There are also differences in spectral and temporal properties of calls based on sex and gene/environment factors.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Neurosciences
Charles Lenell, Courtney K. Broadfoot, Nicole E. Schaen-Heacock, Michelle R. Ciucci
Summary: The rat model is a useful tool for studying communication and related deficits, as rat produce ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) that are altered by various experimental conditions. Sex differences are apparent in both the rat larynx and USV acoustics, and are differentially affected by experimental conditions. Therefore, studying these sex differences across the lifespan can provide valuable insights into the effects of experimental conditions.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ingrid A. Ekstrom, Debora Rizzuto, Giulia Grande, Tom Bellander, Erika J. Laukka
Summary: The study found that older adults exposed to air pollutants such as PM2.5 and NOx have a faster decline in olfactory ability, suggesting a potential association between air pollution and olfactory decline.
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES
(2022)
Article
Physiology
A. B. Cherepov, A. A. Tiunova, K. V. Anokhin
Summary: Newly hatched chicks show a preference for naturalistic stimuli, but artificial imprinting stimuli can initially elicit a stronger response. However, over time, the preference for artificial stimuli decreases and is replaced by a preference for natural stimuli.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)