Abstract
Zebrafish larvae show characteristic prey capture behavior in response to small moving objects. The neural mechanism used to recognize objects as prey remains largely unknown. We devised a machine learning behavior classification system to quantify hunting kinematics in semi-restrained animals exposed to a range of virtual stimuli. Two-photon calcium imaging revealed a small visual area, AF7, that was activated specifically by the optimal prey stimulus. This pretectal region is innervated by two types of retinal ganglion cells, which also send collaterals to the optic tectum. Laser ablation of AF7 markedly reduced prey capture behavior. We identified neurons with arbors in AF7 and found that they projected to multiple sensory and premotor areas: the optic tectum, the nucleus of the medial longitudinal fasciculus (nMLF) and the hindbrain. These findings indicate that computations in the retina give rise to a visual stream which transforms sensory information into a directed prey capture response.
DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.04878.001
Our ability to recognize objects, and to respond instinctively to them, is something that is not fully understood. For example, seeing your favorite dessert could trigger an irresistible urge to eat it. Yet precisely how the image of the dessert could trigger an inner desire to indulge is a question that has so far eluded scientists. This compelling question also applies to the animal kingdom. Predators often demonstrate a typical hunting behavior upon seeing their prey from a distance. But just how the image of the prey triggers this hunting behavior is not known.
Semmelhack et al. have now investigated this question by looking at the hunting behavior of zebrafish larvae. The larvae's prey is a tiny microbe that resembles a small moving dot. When the larvae encounter something that looks like their prey, they demonstrate a hardwired hunting response towards it. The hunting behavior consists of a series of swimming maneuvers to help the larvae successfully capture their prey.
Semmelhack et al. used prey decoys to lure the zebrafish larvae, and video recordings to monitor the larvae's response. During the recordings, the larvae were embedded in a bed of jelly with only their tails free to move. The larvae's tail movements were recorded, and because the larvae are completely transparent, their brain activity could be visually monitored at the same time using calcium dyes.
Using this approach, Semmelhack et al. identified a specific area of the brain that is responsible for triggering the larvae's hunting behavior. It turns out that this brain region forms a circuit that directly connects the retina at the back of the eye to nerve centers that control hunting maneuvers. So when the larva sees its prey, this circuit could directly trigger the larva's hunting behavior. When the circuit was specifically destroyed with a laser, this instinctive hunting response was impaired.
These findings suggest that predators have a distinct brain circuit that hardwires their hunting response to images of their prey. Future studies would involve understanding precisely how this circuit coordinates the larvae's complex hunting behavior.
DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.04878.002
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