scholarly journals Discrete escape responses are generated by neuropeptide-mediated circuit logic

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bibi Nusreen Imambocus ◽  
Annika Wittich ◽  
Federico Tenedini ◽  
Fangmin Zhou ◽  
Chun Hu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escape Behavior ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Environmental Threats ◽  
Order Processing ◽  
Relaxin Family ◽  
Escape Responses ◽  
Discrete Domains ◽  
Light Avoidance ◽  
Escape Behaviors ◽  
Selection Of

AbstractAnimals display a plethora of escape behaviors when faced with environmental threats. Selection of the appropriate response by the underlying neuronal network is key to maximize chances of survival. We uncovered a somatosensory network in Drosophila larvae that encodes two escape behaviors through input-specific neuropeptide action. Sensory neurons required for avoidance of noxious light and escape in response to harsh touch, each converge on discrete domains of the same neuromodulatory hub neurons. These gate harsh touch responses via short Neuropeptide F, but noxious light avoidance via compartmentalized, acute Insulin-like peptide 7 action and cognate Relaxin-family receptor signaling in connected downstream neurons. Peptidergic hub neurons can thus act as central circuit elements for first order processing of converging sensory inputs to gate specific escape responses.One Sentence SummaryCompartment-specific neuropeptide action regulates sensory information processing to elicit discrete escape behavior in Drosophila larvae.

Pulvino-cortical interaction: an integrative role in the control of attention

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexia Bourgeois ◽  
Carole Guedj ◽  
Emmanuel Carrera ◽  
Patrik Vuilleumier
Keyword(s):  
Executive Control ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Cortical Circuits ◽  
Attention And Executive Control ◽  
Neural Communication ◽  
Subcortical Regions ◽  
Theoretical Proposal ◽  
Selection Of

Selective attention is a fundamental cognitive function that guides behavior by selecting and prioritizing salient or relevant sensory information of our environment. Despite early evidence and theoretical proposal pointing to an implication of thalamic control in attention, most studies in the past two decades focused on cortical substrates, largely ignoring the contribution of subcortical regions as well as cortico-subcortical interactions. Here, we suggest a key role of the pulvinar in the selection of salient and relevant information via its involvement in priority maps computation. Prioritization may be achieved through a pulvinar- mediated generation of alpha oscillations, which may then modulate neuronal gain in thalamo-cortical circuits. Such mechanism might orchestrate the synchrony of cortico-cortical interaction, by rendering neural communication more effective, precise and selective. We propose that this theoretical framework will support a timely shift from the prevailing cortico- centric view of cognition to a more integrative perspective of thalamic contributions to attention and executive control processes.

scholarly journals Action selection based on multiple-stimulus aspects in the wind-elicited escape behavior of crickets

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nodoka Sato ◽  
Hisashi Shidara ◽  
Hiroto Ogawa
Keyword(s):  
Escape Behavior ◽  
Movement Direction ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Stimulus Velocity ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Defensive Behaviors ◽  
Multiple Stimulus ◽  
Stimulus Parameters ◽  
Direction Control ◽  
Escape Responses

ABSTRACTAnimals detect approaching predators via sensory inputs through various modalities and immediately show an appropriate behavioral response to survive. Escape behavior is essential to avoid the predator’s attack and is more frequently observed than other defensive behaviors. In some species, multiple escape responses are exhibited with different movements. It has been reported that the approaching speed of a predator is important in choosing which escape action to take among the multiple responses. However, it is unknown whether other aspects of sensory stimuli, that indicate the predator’s approach, affect the selection of escape responses. We focused on two distinct escape responses (running and jumping) to a stimulus (short airflow) in crickets and examined the effects of multiple stimulus aspects (including the angle, velocity, and duration) on the choice between these escape responses. We found that the faster and longer the airflow, the more frequently the crickets jumped, meaning that they could choose their escape response depending on both velocity and duration of the stimulus. This result suggests that the neural basis for choosing escape responses includes the integration process of multiple stimulus parameters. It was also found that the moving speed and distance changed depending on the stimulus velocity and duration during running but not during jumping, suggesting higher adaptability of the running escape. In contrast, the movement direction was accurately controlled regardless of the stimulus parameters in both responses. The escape direction depended only on stimulus orientation, but not on velocity and duration.Summary statementWhen air currents triggering escape are faster and longer, crickets more frequently jump than run. Running speed and distance depend on stimulus velocity and duration, but direction control is independent.

scholarly journals Goal-directed and stimulus-driven selection of internal representations

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (39) ◽  
pp. 24590-24598
Author(s):  
Freek van Ede ◽  
Alexander G. Board ◽  
Anna C. Nobre
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Feature Matching ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Internal Representations ◽  
Memory Representations ◽  
External Stimuli ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Do So

Adaptive behavior relies on the selection of relevant sensory information from both the external environment and internal memory representations. In understanding external selection, a classic distinction is made between voluntary (goal-directed) and involuntary (stimulus-driven) guidance of attention. We have developed a task—the anti-retrocue task—to separate and examine voluntary and involuntary guidance of attention to internal representations in visual working memory. We show that both voluntary and involuntary factors influence memory performance but do so in distinct ways. Moreover, by tracking gaze biases linked to attentional focusing in memory, we provide direct evidence for an involuntary “retro-capture” effect whereby external stimuli involuntarily trigger the selection of feature-matching internal representations. We show that stimulus-driven and goal-directed influences compete for selection in memory, and that the balance of this competition—as reflected in oculomotor signatures of internal attention—predicts the quality of ensuing memory-guided behavior. Thus, goal-directed and stimulus-driven factors together determine the fate not only of perception, but also of internal representations in working memory.

The Neural Basis of Escape Behavior in Vertebrates

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 417-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiago Branco ◽  
Peter Redgrave
Keyword(s):  
Neural Circuits ◽  
Escape Behavior ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Normative Theory ◽  
Neural Systems ◽  
Adaptive Behaviors ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Evolutionarily Conserved ◽  
Escape Behaviors

Escape is one of the most studied animal behaviors, and there is a rich normative theory that links threat properties to evasive actions and their timing. The behavioral principles of escape are evolutionarily conserved and rely on elementary computational steps such as classifying sensory stimuli and executing appropriate movements. These are common building blocks of general adaptive behaviors. Here we consider the computational challenges required for escape behaviors to be implemented, discuss possible algorithmic solutions, and review some of the underlying neural circuits and mechanisms. We outline shared neural principles that can be implemented by evolutionarily ancient neural systems to generate escape behavior, to which cortical encephalization has been added to allow for increased sophistication and flexibility in responding to threat.

Modifications of Locomotor Pattern Underlying Escape Behavior in the Lamprey

2008 ◽  
Vol 99 (1) ◽  
pp. 297-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salma S. Islam ◽  
Pavel V. Zelenin
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Escape Behavior ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
The Body ◽  
Descending Pathways ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Lower Vertebrate ◽  
Dorsal Roots ◽  
Tactile Stimuli ◽  
Undulatory Locomotion

Two forms of undulatory locomotion in the lamprey (a lower vertebrate) have been described earlier: fast forward swimming (FFS) used for long distance migrations and slow backward swimming (SBS) used for escape from adverse tactile stimuli. In the present study, we describe another form of escape behavior: slow forward swimming (SFS). We characterize the kinematic and electromyographic patterns of SFS and compare them with SBS and FFS. The most striking feature of SFS is nonuniformity of shape and speed of the locomotor waves propagating along the body: close to the site of stimulation, the waves slow down and the body curvature increases several-fold due to enhanced muscle activity. Lesions of afferents showed that sensory information critical for elicitation of SFS is transmitted through the dorsal roots. In contrast, sensory signals that induce SBS are transmitted through the dorsal roots, lateral line nerves, and trigeminal nerves. Persistence of SFS and SBS after different lesions of the spinal cord suggests that the ascending and descending pathways, necessary for induction of SBS and SFS, are dispersed over the cross section of the spinal cord. As shown previously, during FFS (but not SBS) the lamprey maintains the dorsal-side-up body orientation due to vestibular postural reflexes. In this study we have found that the orientation control is absent during SFS. The role of the spinal cord and the brain stem in generation of different forms of undulatory locomotion is discussed.

scholarly journals Aversive stimuli drive hypothalamus-to-habenula excitation to promote escape behavior

eLife ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salvatore Lecca ◽  
Frank Julius Meye ◽  
Massimo Trusel ◽  
Anna Tchenio ◽  
Julia Harris ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Species ◽  
Escape Behavior ◽  
Negative Events ◽  
Innate Response ◽  
Lateral Habenula ◽  
Aversive Stimuli ◽  
External Threats ◽  
Glutamatergic Signaling ◽  
Excitatory Projection ◽  
Escape Behaviors

A sudden aversive event produces escape behaviors, an innate response essential for survival in virtually all-animal species. Nuclei including the lateral habenula (LHb), the lateral hypothalamus (LH), and the midbrain are not only reciprocally connected, but also respond to negative events contributing to goal-directed behaviors. However, whether aversion encoding requires these neural circuits to ultimately prompt escape behaviors remains unclear. We observe that aversive stimuli, including foot-shocks, excite LHb neurons and promote escape behaviors in mice. The foot-shock-driven excitation within the LHb requires glutamatergic signaling from the LH, but not from the midbrain. This hypothalamic excitatory projection predominates over LHb neurons monosynaptically innervating aversion-encoding midbrain GABA cells. Finally, the selective chemogenetic silencing of the LH-to-LHb pathway impairs aversion-driven escape behaviors. These findings unveil a habenular neurocircuitry devoted to encode external threats and the consequent escape; a process that, if disrupted, may compromise the animal’s survival.

scholarly journals Hypothalamic circuits for mechanically-evoked defensive attack

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng Cao ◽  
Zhiyong Xie ◽  
Huating Gu ◽  
Congping Shang ◽  
Xinyu Cheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Role ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Mechanical Force ◽  
Hypothalamic Nucleus ◽  
Mechanical Stimuli ◽  
Neural Signals ◽  
Environmental Threats ◽  
Efferent Pathway ◽  
Defensive Behaviors ◽  
The Brain

Abstract The innate defensive behaviors triggered by environmental threats play a critical role in animal survival. Among these behaviors, defensive attack physically toward threatening target (e.g. predator) is the last line of defense to struggle for survival. How the brain transforms threat-relevant sensory information into the action of defensive attack remains poorly understood. We found that noxious mechanical force in an inescapable context was a key stimulus to trigger defensive attack in laboratory mice. The mechanically-evoked defensive attack was abrogated by photoinhibition of vGAT+ neurons in the anterior hypothalamic nucleus (AHN). The AHN vGAT+ neurons encoded the intensity of mechanical force and were innervated by brain areas related to pain and attack. Activation of these neurons triggered biting attack toward predator, while suppressing other ongoing behaviors. The efferent pathway from AHN vGAT+ neurons to the periaqueductal gray was both sufficient and necessary for mechanically-evoked defensive attack. Together, these data revealed a GABAergic brain circuit engaged in converting noxious mechanical stimuli to neural signals that provoke defensive attack in mice.

scholarly journals Robust Encoding of Abstract Rules by Distinct Neuronal Populations in Primate Visual Cortex

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donatas Jonikaitis ◽  
Nir Nissim ◽  
Ruobing Xia ◽  
Tirin Moore
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Sensory Stimulation ◽  
Cognitive Factors ◽  
Stimulus Selection ◽  
Neuronal Populations ◽  
Primate Visual Cortex ◽  
Behavioral Constraints ◽  
Sensory Responses ◽  
Selection Of

AbstractIt is widely known that neural activity in sensory representations is modulated by cognitive factors such as attention, reward value and working memory. In such cases, sensory responses are found to reflect a selection of the specific sensory information needed to achieve behavioral goals. In contrast, more abstract behavioral constraints that do not involve stimulus selection, such as task rules, are thought to be encoded by neurons at later stages. We show that information about abstract rules is encoded by neurons in primate visual cortex in the absence of sensory stimulation. Furthermore, we show that rule information is greatest among neurons with the least visual activity and the weakest coupling to local neuronal networks. Our results identify rule-specific signals within a sensory representation and suggest that distinct mechanisms exist there for mapping rule information onto sensory guided decisions.

Behavioral Flexibility and Anticipatory Behavior

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin V. Butz ◽  
Esther F. Kutter
Keyword(s):  
Predictive Models ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Behavioral Flexibility ◽  
Anticipatory Behavior ◽  
Sensorimotor Knowledge ◽  
Abstract Learning ◽  
Goal Directed Behavior ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Selection Of

While reward-oriented learning can adapt and optimize behavior, this chapter shows how behavior can become anticipatory and selectively goal-oriented. Flexibility and adaptability are necessary when living in changing environmental niches. As a consequence, different locations in the environment need to be distinguished to enable selective and optimally attuned interactions. To accomplish this, sensorimotor learning is necessary. With sufficient sensorimotor knowledge, the progressively abstract learning of environmental predictive models becomes possible. These models enable forward anticipations about action consequences and incoming sensory information. As a consequence, our own influences on the environment can be distinguished from other influences, following the re-afference principle. Moreover, inverse anticipations enable the selection of the behavior that is believed to reach current goals most effectively. Coupled with motivations, goal-directed behavior can be generated self-motivatedly. Furthermore, curious, information seeking, epistemic behavior can be generated. The remainder of the book addresses how the brain accomplishes this goal-oriented, self-motivated generation of behavior and thought, where the latter can be considered mental behavior.

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