CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, China.
Interdisciplinary Center for Brain Information, The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
Mol Brain. 2023 May 11;16(1):40. doi: 10.1186/s13041-023-01032-y.
Cooperation is a social behavior crucial for the survival of many species, including humans. Several experimental paradigms have been established to study cooperative behavior and related neural activity in different animal species. Although mice exhibit limited cooperative capacity in some behavioral paradigms, it is still interesting to explore their cooperative behavior and the underlying neural mechanisms. Here, we developed a new paradigm for training and testing cooperative behavior in mice based on coordinated lever-pressing and analyzed social interactions between the animals during cooperation. We observed extensive social contact and waiting behavior in cooperating animals, with the number of such events positively correlated with the success of cooperation. Using c-Fos immunostaining and a high-speed volumetric imaging with synchronized on-the-fly scan and readout (VISoR) system, we further mapped whole-brain neuronal activity trace following cooperation. Significantly higher levels of c-Fos expression were observed in cortical areas including the frontal pole, motor cortex, anterior cingulate area, and prelimbic area. These observations highlight social interaction and coordination in cooperative behavior and provide clues for further study of the underlying neural circuitry mechanisms.
合作是许多物种（包括人类）生存所必需的一种社会行为。已经建立了几种实验范式来研究不同动物物种的合作行为和相关的神经活动。尽管在某些行为范式中，老鼠表现出有限的合作能力，但探索它们的合作行为和潜在的神经机制仍然很有趣。在这里，我们开发了一种基于协调压杆的新范式来训练和测试老鼠的合作行为，并分析了动物在合作期间的社会互动。我们观察到合作动物之间有广泛的社会接触和等待行为，这种事件的数量与合作的成功呈正相关。使用 c-Fos 免疫染色和高速体积成像与同步实时扫描和读取系统（VISoR），我们进一步绘制了合作后全脑神经元活动轨迹。在前额极、运动皮层、前扣带区和前边缘区等皮质区域观察到 c-Fos 表达水平显著升高。这些观察结果强调了合作行为中的社会互动和协调，并为进一步研究潜在的神经回路机制提供了线索。
