幼年斑马鱼的视觉系统与捕食行为

神经环路的研究是揭示动物行为神经机制的关键。斑马鱼作为一种低等脊椎动物, 在神经环路的研究中有着独特优势。文章描述了斑马鱼视觉系统及其下游的神经环路, 重点讨论了它们在捕食行为中的可能作用。斑马鱼捕食行为主要依赖于视觉功能, 该过程涉及到视觉-运动通路各个层次的神经环路, 包括下游的网状脊髓命令神经元、脊髓内部的运动控制环路以及一些亟待研究的功能单元。随着在体记录和操纵神经元活动技术的成熟, 以及行为学范式的完善, 对斑马鱼捕食行为相关神经环路的研究将在未来数年内迅速发展, 同时也将推动神经科学相关研究的进步。     

揭秘大脑里的“开关”

动物对不同的感觉刺激产生不同的行为反应,这对动物生存至关重要。关于其神经机制的研究,之前的工作多集中在感觉系统信息处理方面。但视觉刺激所包含的行为意义是怎样被大脑处理的,大脑处理后又如何根据刺激的行为意义调控行为的发生尚不清楚。为了更好地解析行为选择的神经机制,中国科学院神经科学研究所杜久林组姚园园等利用斑马鱼的逃跑环路为模型,研究了不同行为意义的视觉刺激引起不同行为反应的神经机制。首先,他们发现斑马鱼仅对危险性而非非危险性视觉刺激产生逃跑行为,且这一行为控制发生在视觉信息由视觉中枢向逃跑命令神经元传递的阶段(即视觉-运动信息转换阶段)。其次,发现下丘脑多巴胺能神经元和后脑甘氨酸能抑制性神经元组成"开关"样功能模块控制这一行为选择。进而,他们发现这一"开关"样功能模块对危险性和非危险性视觉刺激的不同控制是由这些神经元的视觉反应特性实现的。这一工作揭示了神经调质系统在行为选择中的作用,增加了人们对感觉–运动信息转换控制的认识。该工作发现的神经调质系统响应感觉刺激这一功能特点可能是大脑中一种普遍存在的神经机制,即神经调质系统接受和处理感觉刺激所携带的行为意义,进而通过调节感觉-运动神经通路,帮助动物作出相应的行为选择。这一工作为课题组提出的"Bi-modal Brain Function Hypothesis"提供了进一步的实验证据。     

动物觅食行为对捕食风险的反应

动物进行任何活动时均面临被捕食的风险 ,分析捕食风险与猎物觅食行为的关系 ,有助于揭示捕食者与猎物的协同进化机制。捕食风险具有限制或调节猎物种群数量的功能。在进化时间内 ,对猎物形态和行为特征的进化是潜在的选择压力之一 ,可利用环境因子作为信息源估测食物可利用性和捕食风险大小的动物 ,具有更大的适合度。信息源可分为包括视觉的、听觉的和化学的。动物进行觅食活动时 ,依据信息源的变化确定环境中捕食风险的大小 ,并根据自身的质量在捕食风险的大小之间做出权衡 ,通过食物选择、活动格局和栖息地利用等行为的变化降低捕食风险     

斑马鱼依托咪酯麻醉模型的建立北大核心CSCD

全身麻醉药广泛应用于临床,但其引起全身麻醉状态的神经机制至今仍不清楚。脊椎动物斑马鱼具有保守而简单的脑结构,近几年来已应用于神经机理基础性的研究。在本工作中,我们从行为和电生理水平上,首次建立了斑马鱼麻醉模型。在细胞外液中施加静脉麻醉药依托咪酯(etomidate),可以浓度依赖性地抑制斑马鱼的运动。在体细胞外电生理记录显示,依托咪酯可有效阻断斑马鱼脊髓运动神经元的电活动。运用在体局部场电位和全细胞记录技术,进一步发现依托咪酯可显著抑制大脑群体神经元的活动,并阻断视觉信号的传递。本工作表明,斑马鱼可以作为一种合适的动物模型,应用于全身麻醉药神经机制的研究。     

动物的警戒行为——回顾及展望

警戒行为是动物对群体内部或外部刺激的行为反应,主要表现为抬头环视周围环境,具有反捕食和社会性监视功能,有利于个体适合度的增加。诸多研究表明,多种因素可以影响到动物警戒行为的强度和模式。内部因素主要包括个体的年龄、性别、所处空间位置和群体大小等,外部因素主要是捕食风险和人类活动的干扰。近年来,动物警戒同步性研究引起了广泛关注。同步警戒和协调警戒对立于独立警戒而存在,强调个体能够受到周围个体警戒状态的影响,继而表现出相同或相反的行为,并且其强度与群体大小等因素有关。在今后的研究中,可以在警戒行为影响因素和同步性方面进行更加深入而全面的探索。此外,警戒行为的个体差异和时空变化等也将是重要的研究方向。     

对比度检测学习提高猫的视觉对比敏感度

对人的心理学研究结果显示,对比度检测学习可提高学习者对视觉刺激的对比敏感度,但其潜在的神经机制尚不清楚。该研究用二选一（two-alternative forced choice）方法训练3只猫（Felis catus）通过单眼进行对比度检测学习,发现每只猫对视觉刺激的对比敏感度随着训练而显著提高。该学习效果虽然对训练眼有明显的特异性,但部分学习效果可以传递给非训练眼,提示对比度检测学习可能会引起双眼信息汇聚前后的视觉中枢的神经可塑性。另外,猫视觉对比敏感度的提高主要发生在训练刺激的空间频率附近,表明对比度检测学习具有一定的空间频率选择性。该研究结果显示,猫对视觉刺激的对比度检测学习表现出与人类相似的特性,因此可以作为模式动物来研究人类学习诱导的视觉对比敏感度升高的神经机制。     

以透明脑,观澄明心——斑马鱼神经功能研究进展

斑马鱼是一种相对新颖的模式脊椎动物,具有脊椎动物保守的神经系统构造和丰富的行为模式.近年来随着在体电生理、光学成像、遗传工程等方法的建立和完善,幼龄斑马鱼因其脑部透明、结构简单的特点,日益成为从突触、神经元、环路到行为等多层次,在全脑尺度上探究神经系统功能机制的理想动物模型.本文综述了近年来利用斑马鱼在感觉信息处理、运动控制、学习与神经可塑性等方向上所取得的重要研究进展,并对新技术的开发提出了展望.随着研究思路的深化和实验手段的推陈出新,斑马鱼模式动物必将成为探索脑工作原理之利器,为神经科学研究带来更多的突破.     

社群学习对植食性鸟类和哺乳动物觅食行为的作用

社群学习是动物的一种可塑性行为表现型式。综述了社群学习对植食性鸟类和哺乳动物觅食行为的作用,并述评了其学习机制。社群同伴对动物个体觅食地点、时间和取食方式均有影响,母体摄食的食物信息可通过胎盘和乳汁显著影响幼体的食物选择。动物通过观察学习、嗅闻学习以及味觉厌恶学习,不仅能更快找到食物资源,提高觅食效率,而且能有效降低中毒与被捕食的风险,从而提高其适合度。     

动物的捕食行为

简要介绍了捕食行为研究的一些主要方向,如猎物选择、食物贮藏、捕食喂幼和捕食的节律性等,还讨论了动物的搜寻和捕食策略以及攻击方式等。     

行为生态学(七):被捕食动物的社群生活

动物的社群结构和行为特征大都同捕食现象有关。这些特征既能使动物得到食物,而又不致使自己沦为别的动物的食物。猎豹的外形和奔跑速度、羚羊的高度警惕性、猫头鹰敏锐的听觉器官和地面营巢鸟类的保护色,都有利于这些动物在激烈残酷的生存斗争中找到食物,而又避免使自己成为食物。被捕食动物的社群生活,在某些情况下(但并不总是如此)可以减少捕食动物对自己的捕食,并有利于得到食物。     

Dissociation of food and opiate preference by a genetic mutation in zebrafish

Both natural rewards and addictive substances have the ability to reinforce behaviors. It has been unclear whether identical neural pathways mediate the actions of both. In addition, little is known about these behaviors and the underlying neural mechanisms in a genetically tractable vertebrate, the zebrafish Danio rerio. Using a conditioned place preference paradigm, we demonstrate that wildtype zebrafish exhibit a robust preference for food as well as the opiate drug morphine that can be blocked by the opioid receptor antagonist naloxone. Moreover, we show that the too few mutant, which disrupts a conserved zinc finger-containing gene and exhibits a reduction of selective groups of dopaminergic and serotonergic neurons in the basal diencephalon, displays normal food preference but shows no preference for morphine. Pretreatment with dopamine receptor antagonists abolishes morphine preference in the wildtype. These studies demonstrate that zebrafish display measurable preference behavior for reward and show that the preference for natural reward and addictive drug is dissociable by a single-gene mutation that alters subregions of brain monoamine neurotransmitter systems. Future genetic analysis in zebrafish shall uncover further molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the formation and function of neural circuitry that regulate opiate and food preference behavior.     

Adding preferred color to a conventional reward method improves the memory of zebrafish in the T-maze behavior model

Zebrafish have become a useful model for studying behavior and cognitive functions. Recent studies have shown that zebrafish have natural color preference and the ability to form associative memories with visual perception. It is well known that visual perception enhances memory recall in humans, and we suggest that a similar phenomenon occurs in zebrafish. This study proposes that adding a visual perception component to a conventional reward method would enhance memory recall in zebrafish. We found that zebrafish showed greater preference for red cellophane over yellow in the training session but could not remember the preferred place in the memory test. However, the test memory recall was greater when the zebrafish were exposed to the red cellophane with a food reward during the training session, when compared with the use of food reward only. Furthermore, the red cellophane with food reward group showed more predictable memory recall than the food reward only group. These results propose that visual perception can increase memory recall by enhancing the consolidation processes. We suggest that color-cued learning with food reward is a more discriminative method than food reward alone for examining the cognitive changes in the zebrafish.

Abbreviations: WM: working memory; LTM: long-term memory     

Male Syrian hamsters demonstrate a conditioned place preference for sexual behavior and female chemosensory stimuli

Sexual behavior is a natural reward for many rodent species, and it often includes chemosensory-directed components. Chemosensory stimuli themselves may also be rewarding. Conditioned place preference (CPP) is one paradigm frequently used to test the rewarding properties of a range of stimuli. Males and females of several rodent species show a CPP for sexual behavior; however, it is currently unknown whether sexual behavior can induce a CPP in male Syrian hamsters. As male Syrian hamsters are an animal model commonly used for investigation of the neurobiology of sexual behavior, understanding the rewarding components of sexual stimuli will better direct future research on brain regions and neurotransmitters involved in these behaviors. Experiment 1 tested the prediction that male hamsters show a CPP for sexual behavior. Female chemosensory stimuli are essential for the display of sexual behavior in male hamsters; however, the rewarding properties of female chemosensory stimuli contained in vaginal secretions (VS) are uncertain. Therefore, experiment 2 tested the prediction that male hamsters show a CPP for VS. This study is the first demonstration that both sexual behavior and VS induce a CPP in male hamsters. Thus, female chemosensory stimuli are a natural reward in a species that is dependent on these stimuli for reproductive fitness.     

趋流行为下斑马鱼幼鱼的全脑成像

目的 趋流,意即在水中调整身体方向并逆流而上的能力,是一种在大多数鱼类与两栖类动物中存在的保守行为。虽然关于趋流的研究已有一段很长的历史,并且近年来斑马鱼幼鱼趋流行为的理论机制也被提出,但是分布式的神经环路是如何整合多感知信息、做出决策、并实现行为控制仍然是个未知数。对自由运动的斑马鱼进行全脑神经活动成像为理解这一困难的问题提供了特殊的机会。方法 本文开发了一种微流控装置精确控制环境水流并激发斑马鱼的趋流行为。将该微流控芯片与扩增视野光场显微镜以及追踪系统整合,从而记录自由行为下斑马鱼全脑的神经活动。结果 在整合的微流控装置中稳定观察到了斑马鱼在水流中保持自身位置不变、逆流而上等刻板的趋流行为现象。与此同时,实现了对斑马鱼幼鱼趋流行为过程中的全脑钙活动记录。本文初步发现了几个脑区的神经活动与趋流行为相关。结论 本研究第一次展示了在斑马鱼幼鱼趋流行为的同时记录全脑神经活动的技术。接下来对神经活动和行为数据的分析与建模将有助于更好地理解一种重要自然行为背后的感觉运动转换机制。     

Genetic identification of AChE as a positive modulator of addiction to the psychostimulant D‐amphetamine in zebrafish

Addiction is a complex maladaptive behavior involving alterations in several neurotransmitter networks. In mammals, psychostimulants trigger elevated extracellular levels of dopamine, which can be modulated by central cholinergic transmission. Which elements of the cholinergic system might be targeted for drug addiction therapies remains unknown. The rewarding properties of drugs of abuse are central for the development of addictive behavior and are most commonly measured by means of the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm. We demonstrate here that adult zebrafish show robust CPP induced by the psychostimulant D‐amphetamine. We further show that this behavior is dramatically reduced upon genetic impairment of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) function in ache/+ mutants, without involvement of concomitant defects in exploratory activity, learning, and visual performance. Our observations demonstrate that the cholinergic system modulates drug‐induced reward in zebrafish, and identify genetically AChE as a promising target for systemic therapies against addiction to psychostimulants. More generally, they validate the zebrafish model to study the effect of developmental mutations on the molecular neurobiology of addiction in vertebrates. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Neurobiol, 2006     

A simple spatial alternation task for assessing memory function in zebrafish

A series of studies was initiated to examine learning and memory function in the zebrafish (Danio rerio) by using a simple spatial alternation paradigm for a food reward. Fish were fed on alternating sides of a divided fish tank, with a red card displayed on one side serving as a visual means of orientation. Although responses were recorded at cue (light tap on the tank), 5 s after cue (as food was delivered), and 5 s after food delivery, the learning test was choice of a correct side of the tank to receive food. Therefore, an accurate level of an animal's achievement of the spatial task was represented by responses at food delivery. Data collected from 11 separate experiments indicated that zebrafish learned to alternate for a food reward. Further, statistical analysis showed that the zebrafish learned the task in the first half of the experiment as exhibited by a calculated t1/2 of 13.9 trials. Zebrafish could recall the task after a short period of 10 days with no testing. The alternating behavior was extinguished by withholding the food reward. Thus, the spatial alternation task can be learned easily by zebrafish, and may be useful in addressing learning and memory functions in vertebrate animals using zebrafish as a model organism.     

Multisensory Control of Multimodal Behavior: Do the Legs Know What the Tongue Is Doing?

Understanding of adaptive behavior requires the precisely controlled presentation of multisensory stimuli combined with simultaneous measurement of multiple behavioral modalities. Hence, we developed a virtual reality apparatus that allows for simultaneous measurement of reward checking, a commonly used measure in associative learning paradigms, and navigational behavior, along with precisely controlled presentation of visual, auditory and reward stimuli. Rats performed a virtual spatial navigation task analogous to the Morris maze where only distal visual or auditory cues provided spatial information. Spatial navigation and reward checking maps showed experience-dependent learning and were in register for distal visual cues. However, they showed a dissociation, whereby distal auditory cues failed to support spatial navigation but did support spatially localized reward checking. These findings indicate that rats can navigate in virtual space with only distal visual cues, without significant vestibular or other sensory inputs. Furthermore, they reveal the simultaneous dissociation between two reward-driven behaviors.     

Alcohol Impairs Predation Risk Response and Communication in Zebrafish

The effects of ethanol exposure on Danio rerio have been studied from the perspectives of developmental biology and behavior. However, little is known about the effects of ethanol on the prey-predator relationship and chemical communication of predation risk. Here, we showed that visual contact with a predator triggers stress axis activation in zebrafish. We also observed a typical stress response in zebrafish receiving water from these conspecifics, indicating that these fish chemically communicate predation risk. Our work is the first to demonstrate how alcohol effects this prey-predator interaction. We showed for the first time that alcohol exposure completely blocks stress axis activation in both fish seeing the predator and in fish that come in indirect contact with a predator by receiving water from these conspecifics. Together with other research results and with the translational relevance of this fish species, our data points to zebrafish as a promising animal model to study human alcoholism.