An experimental task to examine the mirror neuron system in mice: Laboratory mice understand the movement intentions of other mice based on their own experience
An experimental task to examine the mirror neuron system in mice: Laboratory mice understand the movement intentions of other mice based on their own experience
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DOI：
10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112970
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发表时间：
2021-02-01
影响因子：
2.7
通讯作者：
Takano, Yuji
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Ukezono, Masatoshi;Takano, Yuji
我们开发了一个行为实验来阐明意图理解的神经机制。在这个实验中，首先训练小鼠通过用前肢伸手来获取食物。学会这一点的小鼠被放在一个实验箱中，在那里它们可以观察另一只小鼠的活动。我们发现，受过训练的小鼠倾向于观察其他小鼠的伸手活动;没有接受任何预先训练的小鼠表现出观察另一只小鼠伸手行为的倾向较低。在实验2中，为了排除观察其他小鼠的行为仅仅是由于对喂食桌或社会刺激本身的兴趣，我们比较了当喂食桌的盒子是空的时，当未经训练的小鼠没有达到它时，以及当另一只学习的小鼠达到食物时的探索行为。结果表明，对训练小鼠的探索性接近行为持续时间显著长于对空盒子和未训练个体的探索性接近行为。这些结果表明，学习的个人的探索其他达到个人的动机可能不仅是在喂食表和其他个人本身的存在感兴趣，但也由相关的有意运动。本研究中开发的任务可用于行为神经科学中镜像系统的研究，以阐明小鼠通过运动学习理解其他小鼠意图的能力的机制。
We developed a behavioral experiment to elucidate the neural mechanisms of intention understanding in mice. In this experiment, the mouse is first trained to acquire food by reaching with its forelimb. The mice that learnt this were placed in an experimental box wherein they can observe the reaching activity of another mouse. We found that trained mice tend to observe the reaching activity of other mice; mice that did not receive any prior training displayed a lower tendency towards observing another mouse's reaching behavior. In experiment 2, in order to rule out that observing the behaviors of other mice is solely due to interest in the feeding table or the social stimulus itself, we compared exploratory approach behaviors when the box with the feeding table was empty, when the untrained mouse did not reach it, and when another learnt mouse was reaching for the food. The results showed that exploratory approach behaviors to trained mice lasted significantly longer than the exploratory approach behavior to the empty box and untrained individuals. These results suggest that the learning of individuals' exploration of other reaching individuals may be motivated not only by interest in the presence of the feeding table and other individuals themselves, but also by an associated intentional movement. The tasks developed in our study could be used in the research of the mirror system in behavioral neuroscience to elucidate the mechanism underlying the ability of mice to understand the intent of other mice via motor learning.