1
|
Lebovich L, Kaplan L, Hansel D, Loewenstein Y. Stability and robustness of idiosyncratic choice bias. COMMUNICATIONS PSYCHOLOGY 2025; 3:79. [PMID: 40379772 PMCID: PMC12084652 DOI: 10.1038/s44271-025-00263-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2025] [Indexed: 05/19/2025]
Abstract
A well-known observation in repeated-choice experiments is that a tendency to prefer one response over the others emerges if the feedback consistently favors that response. Choice bias, a tendency to prefer one response over the others, however, is not restricted to biased-feedback settings and is also observed when the feedback is unbiased. In fact, participant-specific choice bias, known as idiosyncratic choice bias (ICB), is common even in symmetrical experimental settings in which feedback is completely absent. Here we ask whether feedback-induced bias and ICB share a common mechanism. Specifically, we ask whether ICBs reflect idiosyncrasies in choice-feedback associations prior to the measurement of the ICB. To address this question, we compared the long-term dynamics of ICBs with feedback-induced biases in two longitudinal experiments involving 319 participants. We show that while feedback effectively induced choice preferences, its effect was transient and diminished within several weeks. By contrast, we show that ICBs remained stable for at least 22 months. These results indicate that different mechanisms underlie the idiosyncratic and feedback-induced biases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lior Lebovich
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany.
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, 78464, Konstanz, Germany.
| | - Lea Kaplan
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - David Hansel
- Cerebral Dynamics, Plasticity and Learning Laboratory, CNRS, 45 Rue des Saints Pères, 75270, Paris, France
| | - Yonatan Loewenstein
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Dept. of Cognitive and Brain Sciences and The Federmann Center for the Study of Rationality, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Andriatsilavo M, Hassan BA. Toward a probabilistic definition of neural cell types. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2025; 92:103035. [PMID: 40334296 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2025.103035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2025] [Revised: 03/04/2025] [Accepted: 04/10/2025] [Indexed: 05/09/2025]
Abstract
A classical view of cell type relies on a definite set of stable properties that are critical for brain functions. Single-cell technologies led to an extensive multimodal characterization of nervous systems and perhaps achieved one of Santiago Ramón y Cajal's dreams: to unveil a comprehensive view of the brain composition. While global analyses of brain structures highlight a degree of mesoscale stereotypy, a finer-scale resolution of brain composition shows significant variance in essential neural cellular phenotypes, including morphology, gene expression, electrophysiology, and connectivity. This highlights the need for novel conceptualization of the definition of a neural "cell type." The challenge of modern neural classification is thus to integrate various distinct cellular properties into a unifying descriptor.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maheva Andriatsilavo
- Institut du Cerveau-Paris Brain Institute (ICM), Sorbonne Université, Inserm, CNRS, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.
| | - Bassem A Hassan
- Institut du Cerveau-Paris Brain Institute (ICM), Sorbonne Université, Inserm, CNRS, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Andriatsilavo M, Barata C, Reifenstein E, Dumoulin A, Tao Griffin T, Dutta SB, Stoeckli ET, von Kleist M, Hiesinger PR, Hassan BA. Sequential and independent probabilistic events regulate differential axon targeting during development in Drosophila melanogaster. Nat Neurosci 2025; 28:998-1011. [PMID: 40335773 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-025-01937-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2025] [Indexed: 05/09/2025]
Abstract
Variation in brain wiring contributes to non-heritable behavioral individuality. How and when these individualized wiring patterns emerge and stabilize during development remains unexplored. In this study, we investigated the axon targeting dynamics of Drosophila visual projecting neurons called DCNs/LC14s, using four-dimensional live-imaging, mathematical modeling and experimental validation. We found that alternative axon targeting choices are driven by a sequence of two independent genetically encoded stochastic processes. Early Notch lateral inhibition segregates DCNs into NotchON proximally targeting axons and NotchOFF axons that adopt a bi-potential transitory state. Subsequently, probabilistic accumulation of stable microtubules in a fraction of NotchOFF axons leads to distal target innervation, whereas the rest retract to adopt a NotchON target choice. The sequential wiring decisions result in the stochastic selection of different numbers of distally targeting axons in each individual. In summary, this work provides a conceptual and mechanistic framework for the emergence of individually variable, yet robust, circuit diagrams during development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maheva Andriatsilavo
- Institut du Cerveau-Paris Brain Institute (ICM), Sorbonne Université, Inserm, CNRS, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
- Division of Neurobiology of the Institute for Biology, Free University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Carolina Barata
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Free University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Eric Reifenstein
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Free University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Alexandre Dumoulin
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Tian Tao Griffin
- Institut du Cerveau-Paris Brain Institute (ICM), Sorbonne Université, Inserm, CNRS, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Suchetana Bias Dutta
- Institut du Cerveau-Paris Brain Institute (ICM), Sorbonne Université, Inserm, CNRS, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
- Division of Neurobiology of the Institute for Biology, Free University, Berlin, Germany
- Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Esther T Stoeckli
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Max von Kleist
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Free University, Berlin, Germany
- Project Group 5 'Systems Medicine of Infectious Disease', Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - P Robin Hiesinger
- Division of Neurobiology of the Institute for Biology, Free University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Bassem A Hassan
- Institut du Cerveau-Paris Brain Institute (ICM), Sorbonne Université, Inserm, CNRS, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.
- Division of Neurobiology of the Institute for Biology, Free University, Berlin, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Churgin MA, Lavrentovich DO, Smith MAY, Gao R, Boyden ES, de Bivort BL. A neural correlate of individual odor preference in Drosophila. eLife 2025; 12:RP90511. [PMID: 40067954 PMCID: PMC11896609 DOI: 10.7554/elife.90511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/15/2025] Open
Abstract
Behavior varies even among genetically identical animals raised in the same environment. However, little is known about the circuit or anatomical origins of this individuality. Here, we demonstrate a neural correlate of Drosophila odor preference behavior in the olfactory sensory periphery. Namely, idiosyncratic calcium responses in projection neuron (PN) dendrites and densities of the presynaptic protein Bruchpilot in olfactory receptor neuron (ORN) axon terminals correlate with individual preferences in a choice between two aversive odorants. The ORN-PN synapse appears to be a locus of individuality where microscale variation gives rise to idiosyncratic behavior. Simulating microscale stochasticity in ORN-PN synapses of a 3062 neuron model of the antennal lobe recapitulates patterns of variation in PN calcium responses matching experiments. Conversely, stochasticity in other compartments of this circuit does not recapitulate those patterns. Our results demonstrate how physiological and microscale structural circuit variations can give rise to individual behavior, even when genetics and environment are held constant.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A Churgin
- Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
- Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, CambridgeCambridgeUnited States
| | - Danylo O Lavrentovich
- Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
- Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, CambridgeCambridgeUnited States
| | - Matthew A-Y Smith
- Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
- Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, CambridgeCambridgeUnited States
| | - Ruixuan Gao
- McGovern Institute, MITCambridgeUnited States
- MIT Media Lab, MITCambridgeUnited States
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Edward S Boyden
- McGovern Institute, MITCambridgeUnited States
- Department of Biological Engineering, MITCambridgeUnited States
- Koch Institute, Department of Biology, MITCambridgeUnited States
- Howard Hughes Medical InstituteChevy ChaseUnited States
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MITCambridgeUnited States
| | - Benjamin L de Bivort
- Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
- Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, CambridgeCambridgeUnited States
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Triphan T, Ferreira CH, Huetteroth W. Play-like behavior exhibited by the vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster. Curr Biol 2025; 35:1145-1155.e2. [PMID: 39933520 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.01.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/14/2025] [Indexed: 02/13/2025]
Abstract
Anecdotal accounts about animals repeatedly exposing themselves to sources of passive movement by engaging with swings, slides, or carousels are generally assumed to be "play." Criteria for play-like behavior require the activity to be (1) of no immediate relevance for survival; (2) voluntary, intentional, and rewarding; (3) non-ethotypical; (4) repeated, yet unstereotyped; and (5) free from stress.1,2 Play-like behavior following these rules is pervasive across the vertebrate subphylum2; recent studies in rats even identified and characterized the involved brain regions.3,4 In invertebrates, sparse reports have so far addressed either social play in parasitoid wasps or spiders,5,6 object play in bumblebees,7 or are anecdotal.1 Contrary to social play or object play, which are thought to train social interaction or muscle/motor skills, respectively, a convincing hypothesis of the adaptive value of voluntary passive movement play-like behavior is currently lacking in any organism. Like other animals, flies are highly sensitive to the direction of gravitational pull,8 hence such intentional passive motion could be sufficient to induce proprioceptive stimulation externally.9 Here, we identify voluntary spinning on a carousel as idiosyncratic play-like behavior in the vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster: while some flies show spontaneous avoidance, others actively seek stimulation, engaging in repeated, prolonged visits to the carousel. We propose that animals voluntarily expose themselves to external forces, thus intentionally receiving exafferent stimulation. This deliberate, yet indirect, proprioceptive stimulation provides an efficient way to improve self-perception via internal model training and shaping multisensory integration. Importantly, this theoretical framework can now be tested empirically in flies. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tilman Triphan
- Department of Genetics, Institute for Life Sciences, University of Leipzig, Talstr. 33, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Clara H Ferreira
- Health and Life Sciences, Applied Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UK
| | - Wolf Huetteroth
- Department of Genetics, Institute for Life Sciences, University of Leipzig, Talstr. 33, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Health and Life Sciences, Applied Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Silva CG. The convoluted path leading to neuronal circuit formation. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2025; 90:102941. [PMID: 39662332 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2024.102941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2024] [Revised: 08/20/2024] [Accepted: 11/20/2024] [Indexed: 12/13/2024]
Abstract
A limiting step of neuronal circuit formation is the extensive migration of interneurons from their birthplace to populate territories formed by excitatory neurons. Interneuron dynamics in the developing brain culminates with the organization of interneuron subtypes in specific configurations within layers of brain tissue. Decoding the logic behind these configurations is still matter of passionate debate. Do interneurons follow a sketched program from the progenitor state or is this organization sculpted from intricate cellular interactions? How do interneurons select interacting partners? How does interneuron diversity emerge? New technologies and access to brain tissue from different species are allowing us to reconstruct stone by stone, the convoluted path leading to the formation of neuronal cell assemblies made of excitatory and inhibitory neurons. The most recent research highlights that interneuron subtype circuit integration needs to be assessed case by case. Here, I highlight the need to keep delving into the complexities of interneuron interaction with their environment during development to accomplish this Herculean task.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carla G Silva
- Department of Translational Neuroscience - University Medical Centre Utrecht Brain Center, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Hamamichi K, Takahashi Y. Stochastic variation in foraging traits within inbred lines of Drosophila. PLoS One 2025; 20:e0289864. [PMID: 39820056 PMCID: PMC11737734 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2024] [Indexed: 01/19/2025] Open
Abstract
Investigating the causes and consequences of niche partitioning in populations is a major goal in ecology and evolutionary biology. Previous studies have investigated genetic and environmentally induced variation in resource utility and their ecological implications. However, few studies have explored variability (non-genetic, stochastic variation) as a factor contributing to variation in resource utility. In this study, we studied the variability in foraging traits of Drosophila lutescens, a species of wild fruit fly. Using 70 iso-female lines from a single population, we observed two foraging traits, i.e., locomotive speed and resource preferences, in an "8"-shaped experimental arena containing different types of fruit juices. The mean locomotive speed and relative preference for orange juice over grape juice varied significantly among iso-female lines. Additionally, the degree of intraline variation (variability) was detected a fold-change of larger than 2-fold between the smallest line and the largest line. While the mean locomotive speed itself did not correlate with mean resource preferences, the variability of locomotive speed significantly correlated with that of resource preferences. These results suggest that the degree of variability within inbred lines for both locomotive activity and resource preference is potentially partly genetic and that a shared genetic basis may govern variability in these traits. The variability of a particular trait is considered to interact cooperatively with the variability of several other traits in creating phenotypic intraspecific variation within a population.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kaiya Hamamichi
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Yuma Takahashi
- Graduate School of Science, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Sun J, Rojo-Cortes F, Ulian-Benitez S, Forero MG, Li G, Singh DND, Wang X, Cachero S, Moreira M, Kavanagh D, Jefferis GSXE, Croset V, Hidalgo A. A neurotrophin functioning with a Toll regulates structural plasticity in a dopaminergic circuit. eLife 2024; 13:RP102222. [PMID: 39704728 DOI: 10.7554/elife.102222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Experience shapes the brain as neural circuits can be modified by neural stimulation or the lack of it. The molecular mechanisms underlying structural circuit plasticity and how plasticity modifies behaviour are poorly understood. Subjective experience requires dopamine, a neuromodulator that assigns a value to stimuli, and it also controls behaviour, including locomotion, learning, and memory. In Drosophila, Toll receptors are ideally placed to translate experience into structural brain change. Toll-6 is expressed in dopaminergic neurons (DANs), raising the intriguing possibility that Toll-6 could regulate structural plasticity in dopaminergic circuits. Drosophila neurotrophin-2 (DNT-2) is the ligand for Toll-6 and Kek-6, but whether it is required for circuit structural plasticity was unknown. Here, we show that DNT-2-expressing neurons connect with DANs, and they modulate each other. Loss of function for DNT-2 or its receptors Toll-6 and kinase-less Trk-like kek-6 caused DAN and synapse loss, impaired dendrite growth and connectivity, decreased synaptic sites, and caused locomotion deficits. In contrast, over-expressed DNT-2 increased DAN cell number, dendrite complexity, and promoted synaptogenesis. Neuronal activity modified DNT-2, increased synaptogenesis in DNT-2-positive neurons and DANs, and over-expression of DNT-2 did too. Altering the levels of DNT-2 or Toll-6 also modified dopamine-dependent behaviours, including locomotion and long-term memory. To conclude, a feedback loop involving dopamine and DNT-2 highlighted the circuits engaged, and DNT-2 with Toll-6 and Kek-6 induced structural plasticity in this circuit modifying brain function and behaviour.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jun Sun
- Birmingham Centre for Neurogenetics, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Francisca Rojo-Cortes
- Birmingham Centre for Neurogenetics, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Suzana Ulian-Benitez
- Birmingham Centre for Neurogenetics, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Manuel G Forero
- Semillero Lún, Grupo D+Tec, Universidad de Ibagué, Ibagué, Colombia
| | - Guiyi Li
- Birmingham Centre for Neurogenetics, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Deepanshu N D Singh
- Birmingham Centre for Neurogenetics, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Xiaocui Wang
- Birmingham Centre for Neurogenetics, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | | | - Marta Moreira
- Birmingham Centre for Neurogenetics, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Dean Kavanagh
- Institute of Biomedical Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | | | - Vincent Croset
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
| | - Alicia Hidalgo
- Birmingham Centre for Neurogenetics, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Han R, Tan YH, Lo CC. Attractiveness versus stickiness: Behavioural preferences of Drosophila melanogaster with competing visual stimuli. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 159:104716. [PMID: 39426586 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2024.104716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Revised: 07/18/2024] [Accepted: 10/14/2024] [Indexed: 10/21/2024]
Abstract
In nature, animals often encounter various competing stimuli and must make choices among them. Although the behaviour under two identical stimuli has been extensively studied for fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster, how the appeal of one stimulus for the animals is influenced by the appeal of the other is not fully understood. In the present study, we systematically investigated this equation using a modified Buridan's paradigm. We focused on the behaviour of fruit flies under asymmetric visual stimuli, i.e., two black stripes of different widths. We characterized two behaviour modes: (1) Attractiveness: moving toward a stripe in the inner area of the platform, and (2) Stickiness: staying around the edge near a stripe. Our results reveal that while Attractiveness of a stripe is primarily influenced by its own width and remains relatively independent of the opposite stripe, Stickiness is significantly affected by the width of the competing stripe. These findings suggest that the behavioural response of fruit flies to visual stimuli involves complex decision-making processes influenced by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. This study provides new insights into the cognitive and sensory mechanisms underlying visual preference behaviour in Drosophila and highlights the importance of considering multiple stimuli in behavioural assays.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rui Han
- Tan Kah Kee College, Xiamen University, Zhangzhou 363105, PR China.
| | - Yi-Heng Tan
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
| | - Chung-Chuan Lo
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan; Brain Research Center, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Zhao Z, Okada N, Yagishita S, Yahata N, Nitta N, Shibata S, Abe Y, Morita S, Kumagai E, Tanaka KF, Suhara T, Takumi T, Kasai K, Jinde S. Correlations of brain structure with the social behavior of 15q11-13 duplication mice, an animal model of autism. Neurosci Res 2024; 209:42-49. [PMID: 39097003 DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2024.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 06/07/2024] [Accepted: 07/31/2024] [Indexed: 08/05/2024]
Abstract
Duplication of chromosome 15q11-13 has been reported to be one of the most frequent cytogenetic copy number variations in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and a mouse model of paternal 15q11-13 duplication was generated, termed 15q dup mice. While previous studies have replicated some of the behavioral and brain structural phenotypes of ASD separately, the relationship between brain structure and behavior has rarely been examined. In this study, we performed behavioral experiments related to anxiety and social behaviors and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using the same set of 15q dup and wild-type mice. 15q dup mice showed increased anxiety and a tendency toward alterations in social behaviors, as reported previously, as well as variability in terms of sociability. MRI analysis revealed that a lower sociability index was correlated with a smaller gray matter volume in the right medial entorhinal cortex. These results may help to understand how variability in behavioral phenotypes of ASD arises even in individuals with the same genetic background and to determine the individual differences in neurodevelopmental trajectory correlated with specific brain structures that underlie these phenotypes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhilei Zhao
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan; International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), The University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study (UTIAS), The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Naohiro Okada
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan; International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), The University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study (UTIAS), The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Sho Yagishita
- International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), The University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study (UTIAS), The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan; Laboratory of Structural Physiology, Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Bldg, The University of Tokyo, 1 #NC207, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Noriaki Yahata
- National Institutes for Quantum Sciences and Technology, Anagawa 4-9-1, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555, Japan
| | - Nobuhiro Nitta
- National Institutes for Quantum Sciences and Technology, Anagawa 4-9-1, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555, Japan; Central Institute for Experimental Animals, 3-25-12 Tonomachi, Kawasaki Ward, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 210-0821, Japan
| | - Sayaka Shibata
- National Institutes for Quantum Sciences and Technology, Anagawa 4-9-1, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555, Japan
| | - Yoshifumi Abe
- Division of Brain Sciences, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Susumu Morita
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan
| | - Eureka Kumagai
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan
| | - Kenji F Tanaka
- Division of Brain Sciences, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Suhara
- National Institutes for Quantum Sciences and Technology, Anagawa 4-9-1, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555, Japan
| | - Toru Takumi
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Kobe University School of Medicine, 7-5-1 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo, Kobe 650-0017, Japan
| | - Kiyoto Kasai
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan; International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), The University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study (UTIAS), The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Seiichiro Jinde
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Godesberg V, Bockemühl T, Büschges A. Natural variability and individuality of walking behavior in Drosophila. J Exp Biol 2024; 227:jeb247878. [PMID: 39422060 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.247878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 10/09/2024] [Indexed: 10/19/2024]
Abstract
Insects use walking behavior in a large number of contexts, such as exploration, foraging, escape and pursuit, or migration. A lot is known about how nervous systems produce this behavior in general and also how certain parameters vary with regard to walking direction or speed, for instance. An aspect that has not received much attention is whether and how walking behavior varies across individuals of a particular species. To address this, we created a large corpus of kinematic walking data of many individuals of the fruit fly Drosophila. We only selected instances of straight walking in a narrow range of walking speeds to minimize the influence of high-level parameters, such as turning and walking speed, aiming to uncover more subtle aspects of variability. Using high-speed videography and automated annotation, we captured the positions of the six leg tips for thousands of steps and used principal components analysis to characterize the postural space individuals used during walking. Our analysis shows that the largest part of walking kinematics can be described by five principal components (PCs). Separation of these five PCs into a 2D and a 3D subspace divided the description of walking behavior into invariant features shared across individuals and features that relate to the specifics of individuals; the latter features can be regarded as idiosyncrasies. We also demonstrate that this approach can detect the effects of experimental interventions in an unbiased manner and that general aspects of individuality, such as the individual walking posture, can be described.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Godesberg
- Department of Animal Physiology, Institute of Zoology, University of Cologne, 50674 Cologne, Germany
| | - Till Bockemühl
- Department of Animal Physiology, Institute of Zoology, University of Cologne, 50674 Cologne, Germany
| | - Ansgar Büschges
- Department of Animal Physiology, Institute of Zoology, University of Cologne, 50674 Cologne, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Lapraz F, Fixary-Schuster C, Noselli S. Brain bilateral asymmetry - insights from nematodes, zebrafish, and Drosophila. Trends Neurosci 2024; 47:803-818. [PMID: 39322499 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2024.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2024] [Revised: 07/16/2024] [Accepted: 08/06/2024] [Indexed: 09/27/2024]
Abstract
Chirality is a fundamental trait of living organisms, encompassing the homochirality of biological molecules and the left-right (LR) asymmetry of visceral organs and the brain. The nervous system in bilaterian organisms displays a lateralized organization characterized by the presence of asymmetrical neuronal circuits and brain functions that are predominantly localized within one hemisphere. Although body asymmetry is relatively well understood, and exhibits robust phenotypic expression and regulation via conserved molecular mechanisms across phyla, current findings indicate that the asymmetry of the nervous system displays greater phenotypic, genetic, and evolutionary variability. In this review we explore the use of nematode, zebrafish, and Drosophila genetic models to investigate neuronal circuit asymmetry. We discuss recent discoveries in the context of body-brain concordance and highlight the distinct characteristics of nervous system asymmetry and its cognitive correlates.
Collapse
|
13
|
Harel Y, Nasser RA, Stern S. Mapping the developmental structure of stereotyped and individual-unique behavioral spaces in C. elegans. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114683. [PMID: 39196778 PMCID: PMC11422485 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2024] [Revised: 05/31/2024] [Accepted: 08/09/2024] [Indexed: 08/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Developmental patterns of behavior are variably organized in time and among different individuals. However, long-term behavioral diversity was previously studied using pre-defined behavioral parameters, representing a limited fraction of the full individuality structure. Here, we continuously extract ∼1.2 billion body postures of ∼2,200 single C. elegans individuals throughout their full development time to create a complete developmental atlas of stereotyped and individual-unique behavioral spaces. Unsupervised inference of low-dimensional movement modes of each single individual identifies a dynamic developmental trajectory of stereotyped behavioral spaces and exposes unique behavioral trajectories of individuals that deviate from the stereotyped patterns. Moreover, classification of behavioral spaces within tens of neuromodulatory and environmentally perturbed populations shows plasticity in the temporal structures of stereotyped behavior and individuality. These results present a comprehensive atlas of continuous behavioral dynamics across development time and a general framework for unsupervised dissection of shared and unique developmental signatures of behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuval Harel
- Faculty of Biology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Reemy Ali Nasser
- Faculty of Biology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Shay Stern
- Faculty of Biology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Maloney R, Ye A, Saint-Pre SK, Alisch T, Zimmerman D, Pittoors N, de Bivort BL. Drift in Individual Behavioral Phenotype as a Strategy for Unpredictable Worlds. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.09.05.611301. [PMID: 39314318 PMCID: PMC11418933 DOI: 10.1101/2024.09.05.611301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/25/2024]
Abstract
Individuals, even with matched genetics and environment, show substantial phenotypic variability. This variability may be part of a bet-hedging strategy, where populations express a range of phenotypes to ensure survival in unpredictable environments. In addition phenotypic variability between individuals ("bet-hedging"), individuals also show variability in their phenotype across time, even absent external cues. There are few evolutionary theories that explain random shifts in phenotype across an animals life, which we term drift in individual phenotype. We use individuality in locomotor handedness in Drosophila melanogaster to characterize both bet-hedging and drift. We use a continuous circling assay to show that handedness spontaneously changes over timescales ranging from seconds to the lifespan of a fly. We compare the amount of drift and bet-hedging across a number of different fly strains and show independent strain specific differences in bet-hedging and drift. We show manipulation of serotonin changes the rate of drift, indicating a potential circuit substrate controlling drift. We then develop a theoretical framework for assessing the adaptive value of drift, demonstrating that drift may be adaptive for populations subject to selection pressures that fluctuate on timescales similar to the lifespan of an animal. We apply our model to real world environmental signals and find patterns of fluctuations that favor random drift in behavioral phenotype, suggesting that drift may be adaptive under some real world conditions. These results demonstrate that drift plays a role in driving variability in a population and may serve an adaptive role distinct from population level bet-hedging. Significance Statement Why do individuals animals spontaneously change their preferences over time? While stable idiosyncratic behavioral preferences have been proposed to help species survive unpredictable environments as part of a bet-hedging strategy, the role of intraindividual shifts in preferences is unclear. Using Drosophila melanogaster , we show the stability of individual preferences is influenced by genetic background and neuromodulation, and is therefore a regulated phenomenon. We use theoretical modeling to show that shifts in preferences may be adaptive to environments that change within an individual's lifespan, including many real world patterns of environmental fluctuations. Together, this work suggests that the stability of individual preferences may affect the survival of species in unpredictable worlds - understanding that may be increasingly important in the face of anthropogenic change.
Collapse
|
15
|
Mitchell KJ. Variability in Neural Circuit Formation. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2024; 16:a041504. [PMID: 38253418 PMCID: PMC10910361 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a041504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
The study of neural development is usually concerned with the question of how nervous systems get put together. Variation in these processes is usually of interest as a means of revealing these normative mechanisms. However, variation itself can be an object of study and is of interest from multiple angles. First, the nature of variation in both the processes and the outcomes of neural development is relevant to our understanding of how these processes and outcomes are encoded in the genome. Second, variation in the wiring of the brain in humans may underlie variation in all kinds of psychological and behavioral traits, as well as neurodevelopmental disorders. And third, genetic variation that affects circuit development provides the raw material for evolutionary change. Here, I examine these different aspects of variation in circuit development and consider what they may tell us about these larger questions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kevin J Mitchell
- Smurfit Institute of Genetics and Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin D02 PN40, Ireland
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Cornean J, Molina-Obando S, Gür B, Bast A, Ramos-Traslosheros G, Chojetzki J, Lörsch L, Ioannidou M, Taneja R, Schnaitmann C, Silies M. Heterogeneity of synaptic connectivity in the fly visual system. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1570. [PMID: 38383614 PMCID: PMC10882054 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45971-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Visual systems are homogeneous structures, where repeating columnar units retinotopically cover the visual field. Each of these columns contain many of the same neuron types that are distinguished by anatomic, genetic and - generally - by functional properties. However, there are exceptions to this rule. In the 800 columns of the Drosophila eye, there is an anatomically and genetically identifiable cell type with variable functional properties, Tm9. Since anatomical connectivity shapes functional neuronal properties, we identified the presynaptic inputs of several hundred Tm9s across both optic lobes using the full adult female fly brain (FAFB) electron microscopic dataset and FlyWire connectome. Our work shows that Tm9 has three major and many sparsely distributed inputs. This differs from the presynaptic connectivity of other Tm neurons, which have only one major, and more stereotypic inputs than Tm9. Genetic synapse labeling showed that the heterogeneous wiring exists across individuals. Together, our data argue that the visual system uses heterogeneous, distributed circuit properties to achieve robust visual processing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline Cornean
- Institute of Developmental Biology and Neurobiology, Johannes-Gutenberg University, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Sebastian Molina-Obando
- Institute of Developmental Biology and Neurobiology, Johannes-Gutenberg University, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Burak Gür
- Institute of Developmental Biology and Neurobiology, Johannes-Gutenberg University, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Annika Bast
- Institute of Developmental Biology and Neurobiology, Johannes-Gutenberg University, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Giordano Ramos-Traslosheros
- Institute of Developmental Biology and Neurobiology, Johannes-Gutenberg University, 55128, Mainz, Germany
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Jonas Chojetzki
- Institute of Developmental Biology and Neurobiology, Johannes-Gutenberg University, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Lena Lörsch
- Institute of Developmental Biology and Neurobiology, Johannes-Gutenberg University, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Maria Ioannidou
- Institute of Developmental Biology and Neurobiology, Johannes-Gutenberg University, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Rachita Taneja
- Institute of Developmental Biology and Neurobiology, Johannes-Gutenberg University, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Christopher Schnaitmann
- Institute of Developmental Biology and Neurobiology, Johannes-Gutenberg University, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Marion Silies
- Institute of Developmental Biology and Neurobiology, Johannes-Gutenberg University, 55128, Mainz, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Toji N, Sawai A, Wang H, Ji Y, Sugioka R, Go Y, Wada K. A predisposed motor bias shapes individuality in vocal learning. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2308837121. [PMID: 38198530 PMCID: PMC10801888 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2308837121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The development of individuality during learned behavior is a common trait observed across animal species; however, the underlying biological mechanisms remain understood. Similar to human speech, songbirds develop individually unique songs with species-specific traits through vocal learning. In this study, we investigate the developmental and molecular mechanisms underlying individuality in vocal learning by utilizing F1 hybrid songbirds (Taeniopygia guttata cross with Taeniopygia bichenovii), taking an integrating approach combining experimentally controlled systematic song tutoring, unbiased discriminant analysis of song features, and single-cell transcriptomics. When tutoring with songs from both parental species, F1 hybrid individuals exhibit evident diversity in their acquired songs. Approximately 30% of F1 hybrids selectively learn either song of the two parental species, while others develop merged songs that combine traits from both species. Vocal acoustic biases during vocal babbling initially appear as individual differences in songs among F1 juveniles and are maintained through the sensitive period of song vocal learning. These vocal acoustic biases emerge independently of the initial auditory experience of hearing the biological father's and passive tutored songs. We identify individual differences in transcriptional signatures in a subset of cell types, including the glutamatergic neurons projecting from the cortical vocal output nucleus to the hypoglossal nuclei, which are associated with variations of vocal acoustic features. These findings suggest that a genetically predisposed vocal motor bias serves as the initial origin of individual variation in vocal learning, influencing learning constraints and preferences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Noriyuki Toji
- Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo060-0810, Japan
- Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Sapporo060-0810, Japan
| | - Azusa Sawai
- Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo060-0810, Japan
| | - Hongdi Wang
- Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo060-0810, Japan
| | - Yu Ji
- Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo060-0810, Japan
| | - Rintaro Sugioka
- Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo060-0810, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Go
- Cognitive Genomics Research Group, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki444-8585, Japan
- Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Life Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, Okazaki444-8585, Japan
- Division of Behavioral Development, Department of System Neuroscience, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki444-8585, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Wada
- Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo060-0810, Japan
- Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo060-0810, Japan
- Research and Education Center for Brain Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo060-8638, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Scherer U, Ehlman SM, Bierbach D, Krause J, Wolf M. Reproductive individuality of clonal fish raised in near-identical environments and its link to early-life behavioral individuality. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7652. [PMID: 38001119 PMCID: PMC10673926 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43069-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have documented among-individual phenotypic variation that emerges in the absence of apparent genetic and environmental differences, but it remains an open question whether such seemingly stochastic variation has fitness consequences. We perform a life-history experiment with naturally clonal fish, separated directly after birth into near-identical (i.e., highly standardized) environments, quantifying 2522 offspring from 152 broods over 280 days. We find that (i) individuals differ consistently in the size of offspring and broods produced over consecutive broods, (ii) these differences are observed even when controlling for trade-offs between brood size, offspring size and reproductive onset, indicating individual differences in life-history productivity and (iii) early-life behavioral individuality in activity and feeding patterns, with among-individual differences in feeding being predictive of growth, and consequently offspring size. Thus, our study provides experimental evidence that even when minimizing genetic and environmental differences, systematic individual differences in life-history measures and ultimately fitness can emerge.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ulrike Scherer
- SCIoI Excellence Cluster, Technische Universität Berlin, 10587, Berlin, Germany.
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117, Berlin, Germany.
- Department of Fish Biology, Fisheries, and Aquaculture, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, 12587, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Sean M Ehlman
- SCIoI Excellence Cluster, Technische Universität Berlin, 10587, Berlin, Germany
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Fish Biology, Fisheries, and Aquaculture, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, 12587, Berlin, Germany
| | - David Bierbach
- SCIoI Excellence Cluster, Technische Universität Berlin, 10587, Berlin, Germany
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Fish Biology, Fisheries, and Aquaculture, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, 12587, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jens Krause
- SCIoI Excellence Cluster, Technische Universität Berlin, 10587, Berlin, Germany
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Fish Biology, Fisheries, and Aquaculture, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, 12587, Berlin, Germany
| | - Max Wolf
- SCIoI Excellence Cluster, Technische Universität Berlin, 10587, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Fish Biology, Fisheries, and Aquaculture, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, 12587, Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Tang LTH, Lee GA, Cook SJ, Ho J, Potter CC, Bülow HE. Anatomical restructuring of a lateralized neural circuit during associative learning by asymmetric insulin signaling. Curr Biol 2023; 33:3835-3850.e6. [PMID: 37591249 PMCID: PMC10639090 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.07.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Abstract
Studies of neuronal connectivity in model organisms, i.e., of their connectomes, have been instrumental in dissecting the structure-function relationship of nervous systems. However, the limited sample size of these studies has impeded analyses into how variation of connectivity across populations may influence circuit architecture and behavior. Moreover, little is known about how experiences induce changes in circuit architecture. Here, we show that an asymmetric salt-sensing circuit in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans exhibits variation that predicts the animals' salt preferences and undergoes restructuring during salt associative learning. Naive worms memorize and prefer the salt concentration they experience in the presence of food through a left-biased neural network architecture. However, animals conditioned at elevated salt concentrations change this left-biased network to a right-biased network. This change in circuit architecture occurs through the addition of new synapses in response to asymmetric, paracrine insulin signaling. Therefore, experience-dependent changes in an animal's neural connectome are induced by insulin signaling and are fundamental to learning and behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Leo T H Tang
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
| | - Garrett A Lee
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Steven J Cook
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Jacquelin Ho
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Cassandra C Potter
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Hannes E Bülow
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA; Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Sizemore TR, Jonaitis J, Dacks AM. Heterogeneous receptor expression underlies non-uniform peptidergic modulation of olfaction in Drosophila. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5280. [PMID: 37644052 PMCID: PMC10465596 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41012-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Sensory systems are dynamically adjusted according to the animal's ongoing needs by neuromodulators, such as neuropeptides. Neuropeptides are often widely-distributed throughout sensory networks, but it is unclear whether such neuropeptides uniformly modulate network activity. Here, we leverage the Drosophila antennal lobe (AL) to resolve whether myoinhibitory peptide (MIP) uniformly modulates AL processing. Despite being uniformly distributed across the AL, MIP decreases olfactory input to some glomeruli, while increasing olfactory input to other glomeruli. We reveal that a heterogeneous ensemble of local interneurons (LNs) are the sole source of AL MIP, and show that differential expression of the inhibitory MIP receptor across glomeruli allows MIP to act on distinct intraglomerular substrates. Our findings demonstrate how even a seemingly simple case of modulation can have complex consequences on network processing by acting non-uniformly within different components of the overall network.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tyler R Sizemore
- Department of Biology, Life Sciences Building, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA.
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale Science Building, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520-8103, USA.
| | - Julius Jonaitis
- Department of Biology, Life Sciences Building, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA
| | - Andrew M Dacks
- Department of Biology, Life Sciences Building, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Bengochea M, Sitt JD, Izard V, Preat T, Cohen L, Hassan BA. Numerical discrimination in Drosophila melanogaster. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112772. [PMID: 37453418 PMCID: PMC10442639 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Revised: 06/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Sensitivity to numbers is a crucial cognitive ability. The lack of experimental models amenable to systematic genetic and neural manipulation has precluded discovering neural circuits required for numerical cognition. Here, we demonstrate that Drosophila flies spontaneously prefer sets containing larger numbers of objects. This preference is determined by the ratio between the two numerical quantities tested, a characteristic signature of numerical cognition across species. Individual flies maintained their numerical choice over consecutive days. Using a numerical visual conditioning paradigm, we found that flies are capable of associating sucrose with numerical quantities and can be trained to reverse their spontaneous preference for large quantities. Finally, we show that silencing lobula columnar neurons (LC11) reduces the preference for more objects, thus identifying a neuronal substrate for numerical cognition in invertebrates. This discovery paves the way for the systematic analysis of the behavioral and neural mechanisms underlying the evolutionary conserved sensitivity to numerosity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mercedes Bengochea
- Institut du Cerveau-Paris Brain Institute (ICM), Sorbonne Université, Inserm, CNRS, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Jacobo D Sitt
- Institut du Cerveau-Paris Brain Institute (ICM), Sorbonne Université, Inserm, CNRS, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Veronique Izard
- Université de Paris, CNRS, Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center, 75006 Paris, France
| | - Thomas Preat
- Brain Plasticity Unit, CNRS, ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University, 10 Rue Vauquelin, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Laurent Cohen
- Institut du Cerveau-Paris Brain Institute (ICM), Sorbonne Université, Inserm, CNRS, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France; AP-HP, Hôpital de La Pitié Salpêtrière, Féderation de Neurologie, Paris, France.
| | - Bassem A Hassan
- Institut du Cerveau-Paris Brain Institute (ICM), Sorbonne Université, Inserm, CNRS, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Ahmed M, Rajagopalan AE, Pan Y, Li Y, Williams DL, Pedersen EA, Thakral M, Previero A, Close KC, Christoforou CP, Cai D, Turner GC, Clowney EJ. Input density tunes Kenyon cell sensory responses in the Drosophila mushroom body. Curr Biol 2023; 33:2742-2760.e12. [PMID: 37348501 PMCID: PMC10529417 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.05.064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
The ability to discriminate sensory stimuli with overlapping features is thought to arise in brain structures called expansion layers, where neurons carrying information about sensory features make combinatorial connections onto a much larger set of cells. For 50 years, expansion coding has been a prime topic of theoretical neuroscience, which seeks to explain how quantitative parameters of the expansion circuit influence sensory sensitivity, discrimination, and generalization. Here, we investigate the developmental events that produce the quantitative parameters of the arthropod expansion layer, called the mushroom body. Using Drosophila melanogaster as a model, we employ genetic and chemical tools to engineer changes to circuit development. These allow us to produce living animals with hypothesis-driven variations on natural expansion layer wiring parameters. We then test the functional and behavioral consequences. By altering the number of expansion layer neurons (Kenyon cells) and their dendritic complexity, we find that input density, but not cell number, tunes neuronal odor selectivity. Simple odor discrimination behavior is maintained when the Kenyon cell number is reduced and augmented by Kenyon cell number expansion. Animals with increased input density to each Kenyon cell show increased overlap in Kenyon cell odor responses and become worse at odor discrimination tasks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Ahmed
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Adithya E Rajagopalan
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA; The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Yijie Pan
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Ye Li
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, USA
| | - Donnell L Williams
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Erik A Pedersen
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Manav Thakral
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Angelica Previero
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Kari C Close
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | | | - Dawen Cai
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, USA; Biophysics LS&A, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Michigan Neuroscience Institute Affiliate, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Glenn C Turner
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - E Josephine Clowney
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Michigan Neuroscience Institute Affiliate, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Currier TA, Pang MM, Clandinin TR. Visual processing in the fly, from photoreceptors to behavior. Genetics 2023; 224:iyad064. [PMID: 37128740 PMCID: PMC10213501 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Originally a genetic model organism, the experimental use of Drosophila melanogaster has grown to include quantitative behavioral analyses, sophisticated perturbations of neuronal function, and detailed sensory physiology. A highlight of these developments can be seen in the context of vision, where pioneering studies have uncovered fundamental and generalizable principles of sensory processing. Here we begin with an overview of vision-guided behaviors and common methods for probing visual circuits. We then outline the anatomy and physiology of brain regions involved in visual processing, beginning at the sensory periphery and ending with descending motor control. Areas of focus include contrast and motion detection in the optic lobe, circuits for visual feature selectivity, computations in support of spatial navigation, and contextual associative learning. Finally, we look to the future of fly visual neuroscience and discuss promising topics for further study.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Timothy A Currier
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Michelle M Pang
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Thomas R Clandinin
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Zhang J, Lentz L, Goldammer J, Iliescu J, Tanimura J, Riemensperger TD. Asymmetric Presynaptic Depletion of Dopamine Neurons in a Drosophila Model of Parkinson's Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:8585. [PMID: 37239942 PMCID: PMC10218197 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24108585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) often displays a strong unilateral predominance in arising symptoms. PD is correlated with dopamine neuron (DAN) degeneration in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNPC), and in many patients, DANs appear to be affected more severely on one hemisphere than the other. The reason for this asymmetric onset is far from being understood. Drosophila melanogaster has proven its merit to model molecular and cellular aspects of the development of PD. However, the cellular hallmark of the asymmetric degeneration of DANs in PD has not yet been described in Drosophila. We ectopically express human α-synuclein (hα-syn) together with presynaptically targeted syt::HA in single DANs that innervate the Antler (ATL), a symmetric neuropil located in the dorsomedial protocerebrum. We find that expression of hα-syn in DANs innervating the ATL yields asymmetric depletion of synaptic connectivity. Our study represents the first example of unilateral predominance in an invertebrate model of PD and will pave the way to the investigation of unilateral predominance in the development of neurodegenerative diseases in the genetically versatile invertebrate model Drosophila.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiajun Zhang
- Institute of Zoology, Experimental Morphology and Neuroanatomy, University of Cologne, Zuelpicher Str. 47b, 50674 Cologne, Germany
| | - Lucie Lentz
- Institute of Zoology, Experimental Morphology and Neuroanatomy, University of Cologne, Zuelpicher Str. 47b, 50674 Cologne, Germany
| | - Jens Goldammer
- Institute of Zoology, Experimental Morphology and Neuroanatomy, University of Cologne, Zuelpicher Str. 47b, 50674 Cologne, Germany
| | - Jessica Iliescu
- Institute of Zoology, Experimental Morphology and Neuroanatomy, University of Cologne, Zuelpicher Str. 47b, 50674 Cologne, Germany
| | - Jun Tanimura
- Neuronal Circuit Division, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan
| | - Thomas Dieter Riemensperger
- Institute of Zoology, Experimental Morphology and Neuroanatomy, University of Cologne, Zuelpicher Str. 47b, 50674 Cologne, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Rimniceanu M, Currea JP, Frye MA. Proprioception gates visual object fixation in flying flies. Curr Biol 2023; 33:1459-1471.e3. [PMID: 37001520 PMCID: PMC10133043 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.03.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/27/2023]
Abstract
Visual object tracking in animals as diverse as felines, frogs, and fish supports behaviors including predation, predator avoidance, and landscape navigation. Decades of experimental results show that a rigidly body-fixed tethered fly in a "virtual reality" visual flight simulator steers to follow the motion of a vertical bar, thereby "fixating" it on visual midline. This behavior likely reflects a desire to seek natural features such as plant stalks and has inspired algorithms for visual object tracking predicated on robust responses to bar velocity, particularly near visual midline. Using a modified flight simulator equipped with a magnetic pivot to allow frictionless turns about the yaw axis, we discovered that bar fixation as well as smooth steering responses to bar velocity are attenuated or eliminated in yaw-free conditions. Body-fixed Drosophila melanogaster respond to bar oscillation on a stationary ground with frequency-matched wing kinematics and fixate the bar on midline. Yaw-free flies respond to the same stimulus by ignoring the bar and maintaining their original heading. These differences are driven by proprioceptive signals, rather than visual signals, as artificially "clamping" a bar in the periphery of a yaw-free fly has no effect. When presented with a bar and ground oscillating at different frequencies, a yaw-free fly follows the frequency of the ground only, whereas a body-fixed fly robustly steers at the frequencies of both the bar and ground. Our findings support a model in which proprioceptive feedback promote active damping of high-gain optomotor responses to object motion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martha Rimniceanu
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - John P Currea
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Mark A Frye
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Thane M, Paisios E, Stöter T, Krüger AR, Gläß S, Dahse AK, Scholz N, Gerber B, Lehmann DJ, Schleyer M. High-resolution analysis of individual Drosophila melanogaster larvae uncovers individual variability in locomotion and its neurogenetic modulation. Open Biol 2023; 13:220308. [PMID: 37072034 PMCID: PMC10113034 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.220308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuronally orchestrated muscular movement and locomotion are defining faculties of multicellular animals. Due to its simple brain and genetic accessibility, the larva of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster allows one to study these processes at tractable levels of complexity. However, although the faculty of locomotion clearly pertains to the individual, most studies of locomotion in larvae use measurements aggregated across animals, or animals tested one by one, an extravagance for larger-scale analyses. This prevents grasping the inter- and intra-individual variability in locomotion and its neurogenetic determinants. Here, we present the IMBA (individual maggot behaviour analyser) for analysing the behaviour of individual larvae within groups, reliably resolving individual identity across collisions. We use the IMBA to systematically describe the inter- and intra-individual variability in locomotion of wild-type animals, and how the variability is reduced by associative learning. We then report a novel locomotion phenotype of an adhesion GPCR mutant. We further investigated the modulation of locomotion across repeated activations of dopamine neurons in individual animals, and the transient backward locomotion induced by brief optogenetic activation of the brain-descending 'mooncrawler' neurons. In summary, the IMBA is an easy-to-use toolbox allowing an unprecedentedly rich view of the behaviour and its variability of individual larvae, with utility in multiple biomedical research contexts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Thane
- Department Genetics of Learning and Memory, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
- Department of Simulation and Graphics, Otto von Guerike University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Emmanouil Paisios
- Department Genetics of Learning and Memory, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Torsten Stöter
- Combinatorial NeuroImaging Core Facility, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Anna-Rosa Krüger
- Department Genetics of Learning and Memory, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sebastian Gläß
- Department Genetics of Learning and Memory, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Anne-Kristin Dahse
- Division of General Biochemistry, Rudolf Schönheimer Institute of Biochemistry, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Nicole Scholz
- Division of General Biochemistry, Rudolf Schönheimer Institute of Biochemistry, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Bertram Gerber
- Department Genetics of Learning and Memory, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Dirk J. Lehmann
- Department of Simulation and Graphics, Otto von Guerike University, Magdeburg, Germany
- Department for Information Engineering, Faculty of Computer Science, Ostfalia University of Applied Science, Brunswick-Wolfenbuettel, Germany
| | - Michael Schleyer
- Department Genetics of Learning and Memory, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Odell SR, Zito N, Clark D, Mathew D. Stability of olfactory behavior syndromes in the Drosophila larva. Sci Rep 2023; 13:2398. [PMID: 36765192 PMCID: PMC9918538 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29523-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Individuals of many animal populations exhibit idiosyncratic behaviors. One measure of idiosyncratic behavior is a behavior syndrome, defined as the stability of one or more behavior traits in an individual across different situations. While behavior syndromes have been described in various animal systems, their properties and the circuit mechanisms that generate them are poorly understood. We thus have an incomplete understanding of how circuit properties influence animal behavior. Here, we characterize olfactory behavior syndromes in the Drosophila larva. We show that larvae exhibit idiosyncrasies in their olfactory behavior over short time scales. They are influenced by the larva's satiety state and odor environment. Additionally, we identified a group of antennal lobe local neurons that influence the larva's idiosyncratic behavior. These findings reveal previously unsuspected influences on idiosyncratic behavior. They further affirm the idea that idiosyncrasies are not simply statistical phenomena but manifestations of neural mechanisms. In light of these findings, we discuss more broadly the importance of idiosyncrasies to animal survival and how they might be studied.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Seth R Odell
- Integrative Neuroscience Program, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
| | - Nicholas Zito
- Integrative Neuroscience Program, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
| | - David Clark
- Integrative Neuroscience Program, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
| | - Dennis Mathew
- Integrative Neuroscience Program, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, 89557, USA. .,Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, 89557, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Dutta SB, Linneweber GA, Andriatsilavo M, Hiesinger PR, Hassan BA. EGFR-dependent suppression of synaptic autophagy is required for neuronal circuit development. Curr Biol 2023; 33:517-532.e5. [PMID: 36640763 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.12.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The development of neuronal connectivity requires stabilization of dynamic axonal branches at sites of synapse formation. Models that explain how axonal branching is coupled to synaptogenesis postulate molecular regulators acting in a spatiotemporally restricted fashion to ensure branching toward future synaptic partners while also stabilizing the emerging synaptic contacts between such partners. We investigated this question using neuronal circuit development in the Drosophila brain as a model system. We report that epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activity is required in presynaptic axonal branches during two distinct temporal intervals to regulate circuit wiring in the developing Drosophila visual system. EGFR is required early to regulate primary axonal branching. EGFR activity is then independently required at a later stage to prevent degradation of the synaptic active zone protein Bruchpilot (Brp). Inactivation of EGFR results in a local increase of autophagy in presynaptic branches and the translocation of active zone proteins into autophagic vesicles. The protection of synaptic material during this later interval of wiring ensures the stabilization of terminal branches, circuit connectivity, and appropriate visual behavior. Phenotypes of EGFR inactivation can be rescued by increasing Brp levels or downregulating autophagy. In summary, we identify a temporally restricted molecular mechanism required for coupling axonal branching and synaptic stabilization that contributes to the emergence of neuronal wiring specificity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Suchetana B Dutta
- Institut du Cerveau-Paris Brain Institute (ICM), Sorbonne Université, Inserm, CNRS, Hôpital Pitié Salpêtrière, 75013 Paris, France; Division of Neurobiology, Free University of Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Einstein-BIH, Charité Universitätsmedizin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Maheva Andriatsilavo
- Institut du Cerveau-Paris Brain Institute (ICM), Sorbonne Université, Inserm, CNRS, Hôpital Pitié Salpêtrière, 75013 Paris, France; Division of Neurobiology, Free University of Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Einstein-BIH, Charité Universitätsmedizin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Bassem A Hassan
- Institut du Cerveau-Paris Brain Institute (ICM), Sorbonne Université, Inserm, CNRS, Hôpital Pitié Salpêtrière, 75013 Paris, France; Division of Neurobiology, Free University of Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Einstein-BIH, Charité Universitätsmedizin, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Ahmed M, Rajagopalan AE, Pan Y, Li Y, Williams DL, Pedersen EA, Thakral M, Previero A, Close KC, Christoforou CP, Cai D, Turner GC, Clowney EJ. Hacking brain development to test models of sensory coding. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.25.525425. [PMID: 36747712 PMCID: PMC9900841 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.25.525425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Animals can discriminate myriad sensory stimuli but can also generalize from learned experience. You can probably distinguish the favorite teas of your colleagues while still recognizing that all tea pales in comparison to coffee. Tradeoffs between detection, discrimination, and generalization are inherent at every layer of sensory processing. During development, specific quantitative parameters are wired into perceptual circuits and set the playing field on which plasticity mechanisms play out. A primary goal of systems neuroscience is to understand how material properties of a circuit define the logical operations-computations--that it makes, and what good these computations are for survival. A cardinal method in biology-and the mechanism of evolution--is to change a unit or variable within a system and ask how this affects organismal function. Here, we make use of our knowledge of developmental wiring mechanisms to modify hard-wired circuit parameters in the Drosophila melanogaster mushroom body and assess the functional and behavioral consequences. By altering the number of expansion layer neurons (Kenyon cells) and their dendritic complexity, we find that input number, but not cell number, tunes odor selectivity. Simple odor discrimination performance is maintained when Kenyon cell number is reduced and augmented by Kenyon cell expansion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Ahmed
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Adithya E. Rajagopalan
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Yijie Pan
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Ye Li
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, USA
| | - Donnell L. Williams
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Erik A. Pedersen
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Manav Thakral
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Angelica Previero
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Kari C. Close
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | | | - Dawen Cai
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, USA
- Biophysics LS&A, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute Affiliate
| | - Glenn C. Turner
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - E. Josephine Clowney
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute Affiliate
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Tang LTH, Lee GA, Cook SJ, Ho J, Potter CC, Bülow HE. Restructuring of an asymmetric neural circuit during associative learning. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.12.523604. [PMID: 36711870 PMCID: PMC9882173 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.12.523604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Asymmetric brain function is common across the animal kingdom and involved in language processing, and likely in learning and memory. What regulates asymmetric brain function remains elusive. Here, we show that the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans restructures an asymmetric salt sensing neural circuit during associative learning. Worms memorize and prefer the salt concentration at which they were raised in the presence of food through a left-biased network architecture. When conditioned at elevated salt concentrations, animals change the left-biased to a right-biased network, which explains the changed salt-seeking behavior. The changes in circuit architecture require new synapse formation induced through asymmetric, paracrine insulin-signaling. Therefore, experience-dependent changes in asymmetric network architecture rely on paracrine insulin signaling and are fundamental to learning and behavior.
Collapse
|
31
|
Fenk LM, Avritzer SC, Weisman JL, Nair A, Randt LD, Mohren TL, Siwanowicz I, Maimon G. Muscles that move the retina augment compound eye vision in Drosophila. Nature 2022; 612:116-122. [PMID: 36289333 PMCID: PMC10103069 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05317-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Most animals have compound eyes, with tens to thousands of lenses attached rigidly to the exoskeleton. A natural assumption is that all of these species must resort to moving either their head or their body to actively change their visual input. However, classic anatomy has revealed that flies have muscles poised to move their retinas under the stable lenses of each compound eye1-3. Here we show that Drosophila use their retinal muscles to smoothly track visual motion, which helps to stabilize the retinal image, and also to perform small saccades when viewing a stationary scene. We show that when the retina moves, visual receptive fields shift accordingly, and that even the smallest retinal saccades activate visual neurons. Using a head-fixed behavioural paradigm, we find that Drosophila perform binocular, vergence movements of their retinas-which could enhance depth perception-when crossing gaps, and impairing the physiology of retinal motor neurons alters gap-crossing trajectories during free behaviour. That flies evolved an ability to actuate their retinas suggests that moving the eye independently of the head is broadly paramount for animals. The similarities of smooth and saccadic movements of the Drosophila retina and the vertebrate eye highlight a notable example of convergent evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lisa M Fenk
- Laboratory of Integrative Brain Function and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA.
- Active Sensing, Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence (in foundation), Martinsried, Germany.
| | - Sofia C Avritzer
- Laboratory of Integrative Brain Function and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jazz L Weisman
- Laboratory of Integrative Brain Function and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Aditya Nair
- Laboratory of Integrative Brain Function and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Lucas D Randt
- Active Sensing, Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence (in foundation), Martinsried, Germany
| | - Thomas L Mohren
- Laboratory of Integrative Brain Function and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Igor Siwanowicz
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Gaby Maimon
- Laboratory of Integrative Brain Function and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
The emergence and development of behavioral individuality in clonal fish. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6419. [PMID: 36307437 PMCID: PMC9616841 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34113-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioral individuality is a ubiquitous phenomenon in animal populations, yet the origins and developmental trajectories of individuality, especially very early in life, are still a black box. Using a high-resolution tracking system, we mapped the behavioral trajectories of genetically identical fish (Poecilia formosa), separated immediately after birth into identical environments, over the first 10 weeks of their life at 3 s resolution. We find that (i) strong behavioral individuality is present at the very first day after birth, (ii) behavioral differences at day 1 of life predict behavior up to at least 10 weeks later, and (iii) patterns of individuality strengthen gradually over developmental time. Our results establish a null model for how behavioral individuality can develop in the absence of genetic and environmental variation and provide experimental evidence that later-in-life individuality can be strongly shaped by factors pre-dating birth like maternal provisioning, epigenetics and pre-birth developmental stochasticity.
Collapse
|
33
|
Tozzi A, Mariniello L. Unusual Mathematical Approaches Untangle Nervous Dynamics. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10102581. [PMID: 36289843 PMCID: PMC9599563 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10102581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Revised: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The massive amount of available neurodata suggests the existence of a mathematical backbone underlying neuronal oscillatory activities. For example, geometric constraints are powerful enough to define cellular distribution and drive the embryonal development of the central nervous system. We aim to elucidate whether underrated notions from geometry, topology, group theory and category theory can assess neuronal issues and provide experimentally testable hypotheses. The Monge’s theorem might contribute to our visual ability of depth perception and the brain connectome can be tackled in terms of tunnelling nanotubes. The multisynaptic ascending fibers connecting the peripheral receptors to the neocortical areas can be assessed in terms of knot theory/braid groups. Presheaves from category theory permit the tackling of nervous phase spaces in terms of the theory of infinity categories, highlighting an approach based on equivalence rather than equality. Further, the physical concepts of soft-matter polymers and nematic colloids might shed new light on neurulation in mammalian embryos. Hidden, unexpected multidisciplinary relationships can be found when mathematics copes with neural phenomena, leading to novel answers for everlasting neuroscientific questions. For instance, our framework leads to the conjecture that the development of the nervous system might be correlated with the occurrence of local thermal changes in embryo–fetal tissues.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Arturo Tozzi
- Center for Nonlinear Science, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203-5017, USA
- Correspondence:
| | - Lucio Mariniello
- Department of Pediatrics, University Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Developmental noise is an overlooked contributor to innate variation in psychological traits. Behav Brain Sci 2022; 45:e171. [PMID: 36098433 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x21001655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Stochastic developmental variation is an additional important source of variance - beyond genes and environment - that should be included in considering how our innate psychological predispositions may interact with environment and experience, in a culture-dependent manner, to ultimately shape patterns of human behaviour.
Collapse
|
35
|
Marder E, Kedia S, Morozova EO. New insights from small rhythmic circuits. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2022; 76:102610. [PMID: 35986971 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2022.102610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Small rhythmic circuits, such as those found in invertebrates, have provided fundamental insights into how circuit dynamics depend on individual neuronal and synaptic properties. Degenerate circuits are those with different network parameters and similar behavior. New work on degenerate circuits and their modulation illustrates some of the rules that help maintain stable and robust circuit function despite environmental perturbations. Advances in neuropeptide isolation and identification provide enhanced understanding of the neuromodulation of circuits for behavior. The advent of molecular studies of mRNA expression provides new insight into animal-to-animal variability and the homeostatic regulation of excitability in neurons and networks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eve Marder
- Volen Center and Biology Department, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454, USA
| | - Sonal Kedia
- Volen Center and Biology Department, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454, USA. https://twitter.com/Sonal_Kedia
| | - Ekaterina O Morozova
- Volen Center and Biology Department, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Keesey IW. Sensory neuroecology and multimodal evolution across the genus Drosophila. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.932344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The neural basis and genetic mechanisms for sensory evolution are increasingly being explored in depth across many closely related members of the Drosophila genus. This has, in part, been achieved due to the immense efforts toward adapting gene-editing technologies for additional, non-model species. Studies targeting both peripheral sensory variations, as well as interspecies divergence in coding or neural connectivity, have generated numerous, tangible examples of how and where the evolution of sensory-driven animal behavior has occurred. Here, we review and discuss studies that each aim to identify the neurobiological and genetic components of sensory system evolution to provide a comparative overview of the types of functional variations observed across both perceptual input and behavioral output. In addition, we examined the roles neuroecology and neuroevolution play in speciation events, such as courtship and intraspecies communication, as well as those aspects related to behavioral divergence in host navigation or egg-laying preferences. Through the investigation of comparative, large-scale trends and correlations across diverse, yet closely related species within this highly ecologically variable genus of flies, we can begin to describe the underlying pressures, mechanisms, and constraints that have guided sensory and nervous system evolution within the natural environments of these organisms.
Collapse
|
37
|
de Bivort B, Buchanan S, Skutt-Kakaria K, Gajda E, Ayroles J, O’Leary C, Reimers P, Akhund-Zade J, Senft R, Maloney R, Ho S, Werkhoven Z, Smith MAY. Precise Quantification of Behavioral Individuality From 80 Million Decisions Across 183,000 Flies. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:836626. [PMID: 35692381 PMCID: PMC9178272 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.836626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Individual animals behave differently from each other. This variability is a component of personality and arises even when genetics and environment are held constant. Discovering the biological mechanisms underlying behavioral variability depends on efficiently measuring individual behavioral bias, a requirement that is facilitated by automated, high-throughput experiments. We compiled a large data set of individual locomotor behavior measures, acquired from over 183,000 fruit flies walking in Y-shaped mazes. With this data set we first conducted a "computational ethology natural history" study to quantify the distribution of individual behavioral biases with unprecedented precision and examine correlations between behavioral measures with high power. We discovered a slight, but highly significant, left-bias in spontaneous locomotor decision-making. We then used the data to evaluate standing hypotheses about biological mechanisms affecting behavioral variability, specifically: the neuromodulator serotonin and its precursor transporter, heterogametic sex, and temperature. We found a variety of significant effects associated with each of these mechanisms that were behavior-dependent. This indicates that the relationship between biological mechanisms and behavioral variability may be highly context dependent. Going forward, automation of behavioral experiments will likely be essential in teasing out the complex causality of individuality.
Collapse
|
38
|
Tao L, Bhandawat V. Mechanisms of Variability Underlying Odor-Guided Locomotion. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:871884. [PMID: 35600988 PMCID: PMC9115574 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.871884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Changes in locomotion mediated by odors (odor-guided locomotion) are an important mechanism by which animals discover resources important to their survival. Odor-guided locomotion, like most other behaviors, is highly variable. Variability in behavior can arise at many nodes along the circuit that performs sensorimotor transformation. We review these sources of variability in the context of the Drosophila olfactory system. While these sources of variability are important, using a model for locomotion, we show that another important contributor to behavioral variability is the stochastic nature of decision-making during locomotion as well as the persistence of these decisions: Flies choose the speed and curvature stochastically from a distribution and locomote with the same speed and curvature for extended periods. This stochasticity in locomotion will result in variability in behavior even if there is no noise in sensorimotor transformation. Overall, the noise in sensorimotor transformation is amplified by mechanisms of locomotion making odor-guided locomotion in flies highly variable.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Liangyu Tao
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Vikas Bhandawat
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Keesey IW, Zhang J, Depetris-Chauvin A, Obiero GF, Gupta A, Gupta N, Vogel H, Knaden M, Hansson BS. Functional olfactory evolution in Drosophila suzukii and the subgenus Sophophora. iScience 2022; 25:104212. [PMID: 35573203 PMCID: PMC9093017 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2020] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
|
40
|
Scherer JS, Riedesel OE, Arkhypchuk I, Meiser S, Kretzberg J. Initial Variability and Time-Dependent Changes of Neuronal Response Features Are Cell-Type-Specific. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 16:858221. [PMID: 35573827 PMCID: PMC9092978 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2022.858221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Different cell types are commonly defined by their distinct response features. But several studies proved substantial variability between cells of the same type, suggesting rather the appraisal of response feature distributions than a limitation to "typical" responses. Moreover, there is growing evidence that time-dependent changes of response features contribute to robust and functional network output in many neuronal systems. The individually characterized Touch (T), Pressure (P), and Retzius (Rz) cells in the medicinal leech allow for a rigid analysis of response features, elucidating differences between and variability within cell types, as well as their changes over time. The initial responses of T and P cells to somatic current injection cover a wide range of spike counts, and their first spike is generated with a high temporal precision after a short latency. In contrast, all Rz cells elicit very similar low spike counts with variable, long latencies. During prolonged electrical stimulation the resting membrane potential of all three cell types hyperpolarizes. At the same time, Rz cells reduce their spiking activity as expected for a departure from the spike threshold. In contrast, both mechanoreceptor types increase their spike counts during repeated stimulation, consistent with previous findings in T cells. A control experiment reveals that neither a massive current stimulation nor the hyperpolarization of the membrane potential is necessary for the mechanoreceptors' increase in excitability over time. These findings challenge the previously proposed involvement of slow K+-channels in the time-dependent activity changes. We also find no indication for a run-down of HCN channels over time, and a rigid statistical analysis contradicts several potential experimental confounders as the basis of the observed variability. We conclude that the time-dependent change in excitability of T and P cells could indicate a cell-type-specific shift between different spiking regimes, which also could explain the high variability in the initial responses. The underlying mechanism needs to be further investigated in more naturalistic experimental situations to disentangle the effects of varying membrane properties versus network interactions. They will show if variability in individual response features serves as flexible adaptation to behavioral contexts rather than just "randomness".
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jens-Steffen Scherer
- Computational Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty VI, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Oda E. Riedesel
- Computational Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty VI, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Ihor Arkhypchuk
- Computational Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty VI, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Sonja Meiser
- Computational Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty VI, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Jutta Kretzberg
- Computational Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty VI, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence Hearing4all, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty VI, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
- Research Center Neurosensory Science, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Cerebral Polymorphisms for Lateralisation: Modelling the Genetic and Phenotypic Architectures of Multiple Functional Modules. Symmetry (Basel) 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/sym14040814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent fMRI and fTCD studies have found that functional modules for aspects of language, praxis, and visuo-spatial functioning, while typically left, left and right hemispheric respectively, frequently show atypical lateralisation. Studies with increasing numbers of modules and participants are finding increasing numbers of module combinations, which here are termed cerebral polymorphisms—qualitatively different lateral organisations of cognitive functions. Polymorphisms are more frequent in left-handers than right-handers, but it is far from the case that right-handers all show the lateral organisation of modules described in introductory textbooks. In computational terms, this paper extends the original, monogenic McManus DC (dextral-chance) model of handedness and language dominance to multiple functional modules, and to a polygenic DC model compatible with the molecular genetics of handedness, and with the biology of visceral asymmetries found in primary ciliary dyskinesia. Distributions of cerebral polymorphisms are calculated for families and twins, and consequences and implications of cerebral polymorphisms are explored for explaining aphasia due to cerebral damage, as well as possible talents and deficits arising from atypical inter- and intra-hemispheric modular connections. The model is set in the broader context of the testing of psychological theories, of issues of laterality measurement, of mutation-selection balance, and the evolution of brain and visceral asymmetries.
Collapse
|
42
|
Chou YH, Yang CJ, Huang HW, Liou NF, Panganiban MR, Luginbuhl D, Yin Y, Taisz I, Liang L, Jefferis GSXE, Luo L. Mating-driven variability in olfactory local interneuron wiring. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabm7723. [PMID: 35179957 PMCID: PMC8856614 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abm7723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Variations in neuronal connectivity occur widely in nervous systems from invertebrates to mammals. Yet, it is unclear how neuronal variability originates, to what extent and at what time scales it exists, and what functional consequences it might carry. To assess inter- and intraindividual neuronal variability, it would be ideal to analyze the same identified neuron across different brain hemispheres and individuals. Here, using genetic labeling and electron microscopy connectomics, we show that an identified inhibitory olfactory local interneuron, TC-LN, exhibits extraordinary variability in its glomerular innervation patterns. Moreover, TC-LN's innervation of the VL2a glomerulus, which processes food signals and modulates mating behavior, is sexually dimorphic, is influenced by female's courtship experience, and correlates with food intake in mated females. Mating also affects output connectivity of TC-LN to specific local interneurons. We propose that mating-associated variability of TC-LNs regulates how food odor is interpreted by an inhibitory network to modulate feeding.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ya-Hui Chou
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
- Neuroscience Program of Academia Sinica, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
- Genome and Systems Biology Degree Program, Academia Sinica and National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Jen Yang
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Hao-Wei Huang
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Nan-Fu Liou
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | | | - David Luginbuhl
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Yijie Yin
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Istvan Taisz
- Neurobiology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK
| | - Liang Liang
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Gregory S. X. E. Jefferis
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
- Neurobiology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK
| | - Liqun Luo
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
A pair of commissural command neurons induces Drosophila wing grooming. iScience 2022; 25:103792. [PMID: 35243214 PMCID: PMC8859526 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.103792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In many behaviors such walking and swimming, animals need to coordinate their left and right limbs. In Drosophila, wing grooming can be induced by activation of sensory organs called campaniform sensilla. Flies usually clean one wing at a time, coordinating their left and right hind legs to sweep the dorsal and ventral surfaces of the wing. Here, we identify a pair of interneurons located in the ventral nerve cord that we name wing projection neurons 1 (wPN1) whose optogenetic activation induces wing grooming. Inhibition of wPN1 activity reduces wing grooming. They receive synaptic input from ipsilateral wing campaniform sensilla and wing mechanosensory bristle neurons, and they extend axonal arbors to the hind leg neuropils. Although they project contralaterally, their activation induces ipsilateral wing grooming. Anatomical and behavioral data support a role for wPN1 as command neurons coordinating both hind legs to work together to clean the stimulated wing. A pair of ventral cord neurons, wPN1, is sufficient and necessary for wing grooming wPN1 receive contacts from two types of wing mechanosensors wPN1 are cholinergic and have commissural projections Single-side activation of wPN1 drives both hind legs to clean the ipsilateral wing
Collapse
|
44
|
Smith MAY, Honegger KS, Turner G, de Bivort B. Idiosyncratic learning performance in flies. Biol Lett 2022; 18:20210424. [PMID: 35104427 PMCID: PMC8807056 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals vary in their innate behaviours, even when they have the same genome and have been reared in the same environment. The extent of individuality in plastic behaviours, like learning, is less well characterized. Also unknown is the extent to which intragenotypic differences in learning generalize: if an individual performs well in one assay, will it perform well in other assays? We investigated this using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, an organism long-used to study the mechanistic basis of learning and memory. We found that isogenic flies, reared in identical laboratory conditions, and subject to classical conditioning that associated odorants with electric shock, exhibit clear individuality in their learning responses. Flies that performed well when an odour was paired with shock tended to perform well when the odour was paired with bitter taste or when other odours were paired with shock. Thus, individuality in learning performance appears to be prominent in isogenic animals reared identically, and individual differences in learning performance generalize across some aversive sensory modalities. Establishing these results in flies opens up the possibility of studying the genetic and neural circuit basis of individual differences in learning in a highly suitable model organism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A.-Y. Smith
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Kyle S. Honegger
- Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Glenn Turner
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Benjamin de Bivort
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Mueller JM, Zhang N, Carlson JM, Simpson JH. Variation and Variability in Drosophila Grooming Behavior. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 15:769372. [PMID: 35087385 PMCID: PMC8787196 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.769372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Behavioral differences can be observed between species or populations (variation) or between individuals in a genetically similar population (variability). Here, we investigate genetic differences as a possible source of variation and variability in Drosophila grooming. Grooming confers survival and social benefits. Grooming features of five Drosophila species exposed to a dust irritant were analyzed. Aspects of grooming behavior, such as anterior to posterior progression, were conserved between and within species. However, significant differences in activity levels, proportion of time spent in different cleaning movements, and grooming syntax were identified between species. All species tested showed individual variability in the order and duration of action sequences. Genetic diversity was not found to correlate with grooming variability within a species: melanogaster flies bred to increase or decrease genetic heterogeneity exhibited similar variability in grooming syntax. Individual flies observed on consecutive days also showed grooming sequence variability. Standardization of sensory input using optogenetics reduced but did not eliminate this variability. In aggregate, these data suggest that sequence variability may be a conserved feature of grooming behavior itself. These results also demonstrate that large genetic differences result in distinguishable grooming phenotypes (variation), but that genetic heterogeneity within a population does not necessarily correspond to an increase in the range of grooming behavior (variability).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joshua M. Mueller
- Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Dynamical Neuroscience, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
- Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Neil Zhang
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Jean M. Carlson
- Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Julie H. Simpson
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Julie H. Simpson,
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Abstract
In this review, we highlight sources of alcohols in nature, as well as the behavioral and ecological roles that these fermentation cues play in the short lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster. With a focus on neuroethology, we describe the olfactory detection of alcohol as well as ensuing neural signaling within the brain of the fly. We proceed to explain the plethora of behaviors related to alcohol, including attraction, feeding, and oviposition, as well as general effects on aggression and courtship. All of these behaviors are shaped by physiological state and social contexts. In a comparative perspective, we also discuss inter- and intraspecies differences related to alcohol tolerance and metabolism. Lastly, we provide corollaries with other dipteran and coleopteran insect species that also have olfactory systems attuned to ethanol detection and describe ecological and evolutionary directions for further studies of the natural history of alcohol and the fly.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ian W Keesey
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588, USA;
- Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, D-07745 Jena, Germany;
| | - Bill S Hansson
- Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, D-07745 Jena, Germany;
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Heckman EL, Doe CQ. Presynaptic contact and activity opposingly regulate postsynaptic dendrite outgrowth. eLife 2022; 11:82093. [PMID: 36448675 PMCID: PMC9728994 DOI: 10.7554/elife.82093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The organization of neural circuits determines nervous system function. Variability can arise during neural circuit development (e.g. neurite morphology, axon/dendrite position). To ensure robust nervous system function, mechanisms must exist to accommodate variation in neurite positioning during circuit formation. Previously, we developed a model system in the Drosophila ventral nerve cord to conditionally induce positional variability of a proprioceptive sensory axon terminal, and used this model to show that when we altered the presynaptic position of the sensory neuron, its major postsynaptic interneuron partner modified its dendritic arbor to match the presynaptic contact, resulting in functional synaptic input (Sales et al., 2019). Here, we investigate the cellular mechanisms by which the interneuron dendrites detect and match variation in presynaptic partner location and input strength. We manipulate the presynaptic sensory neuron by (a) ablation; (b) silencing or activation; or (c) altering its location in the neuropil. From these experiments we conclude that there are two opposing mechanisms used to establish functional connectivity in the face of presynaptic variability: presynaptic contact stimulates dendrite outgrowth locally, whereas presynaptic activity inhibits postsynaptic dendrite outgrowth globally. These mechanisms are only active during an early larval critical period for structural plasticity. Collectively, our data provide new insights into dendrite development, identifying mechanisms that allow dendrites to flexibly respond to developmental variability in presynaptic location and input strength.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emily L Heckman
- Institute of Neuroscience, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of OregonEugeneUnited States
| | - Chris Q Doe
- Institute of Neuroscience, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of OregonEugeneUnited States
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Kiral FR, Dutta SB, Linneweber GA, Hilgert S, Poppa C, Duch C, von Kleist M, Hassan BA, Hiesinger PR. Brain connectivity inversely scales with developmental temperature in Drosophila. Cell Rep 2021; 37:110145. [PMID: 34936868 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.110145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2021] [Revised: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Variability of synapse numbers and partners despite identical genes reveals the limits of genetic determinism. Here, we use developmental temperature as a non-genetic perturbation to study variability of brain wiring and behavior in Drosophila. Unexpectedly, slower development at lower temperatures increases axo-dendritic branching, synapse numbers, and non-canonical synaptic partnerships of various neurons, while maintaining robust ratios of canonical synapses. Using R7 photoreceptors as a model, we show that changing the relative availability of synaptic partners using a DIPγ mutant that ablates R7's preferred partner leads to temperature-dependent recruitment of non-canonical partners to reach normal synapse numbers. Hence, R7 synaptic specificity is not absolute but based on the relative availability of postsynaptic partners and presynaptic control of synapse numbers. Behaviorally, movement precision is temperature robust, while movement activity is optimized for the developmentally encountered temperature. These findings suggest genetically encoded relative and scalable synapse formation to develop functional, but not identical, brains and behaviors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ferdi Ridvan Kiral
- Division of Neurobiology, Institute for Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Suchetana B Dutta
- Division of Neurobiology, Institute for Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Gerit Arne Linneweber
- Division of Neurobiology, Institute for Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Selina Hilgert
- Institute of Developmental Biology and Neurobiology (iDN), Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Caroline Poppa
- Division of Neurobiology, Institute for Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Carsten Duch
- Institute of Developmental Biology and Neurobiology (iDN), Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Max von Kleist
- MF1 Bioinformatics, Robert Koch-Institute, 13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Bassem A Hassan
- Division of Neurobiology, Institute for Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Institut du Cerveau - Paris Brain Institute - ICM, Sorbonne Université, Inserm, CNRS, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - P Robin Hiesinger
- Division of Neurobiology, Institute for Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Mollá-Albaladejo R, Sánchez-Alcañiz JA. Behavior Individuality: A Focus on Drosophila melanogaster. Front Physiol 2021; 12:719038. [PMID: 34916952 PMCID: PMC8670942 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.719038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Among individuals, behavioral differences result from the well-known interplay of nature and nurture. Minute differences in the genetic code can lead to differential gene expression and function, dramatically affecting developmental processes and adult behavior. Environmental factors, epigenetic modifications, and gene expression and function are responsible for generating stochastic behaviors. In the last decade, the advent of high-throughput sequencing has facilitated studying the genetic basis of behavior and individuality. We can now study the genomes of multiple individuals and infer which genetic variations might be responsible for the observed behavior. In addition, the development of high-throughput behavioral paradigms, where multiple isogenic animals can be analyzed in various environmental conditions, has again facilitated the study of the influence of genetic and environmental variations in animal personality. Mainly, Drosophila melanogaster has been the focus of a great effort to understand how inter-individual behavioral differences emerge. The possibility of using large numbers of animals, isogenic populations, and the possibility of modifying neuronal function has made it an ideal model to search for the origins of individuality. In the present review, we will focus on the recent findings that try to shed light on the emergence of individuality with a particular interest in D. melanogaster.
Collapse
|
50
|
Abstract
Within populations, individuals show a variety of behavioral preferences, even in the absence of genetic or environmental variability. Neuromodulators affect these idiosyncratic preferences in a wide range of systems, however, the mechanism(s) by which they do so is unclear. I review the evidence supporting three broad mechanisms by which neuromodulators might affect variability in idiosyncratic behavioral preference: by being a source of variability directly upstream of behavior, by affecting the behavioral output of a circuit in a way that masks or accentuates underlying variability in that circuit, and by driving plasticity in circuits leading to either homeostatic convergence toward a given behavior or divergence from a developmental setpoint. I find evidence for each of these mechanisms and propose future directions to further understand the complex interplay between individual variability and neuromodulators.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ryan T Maloney
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| |
Collapse
|