Project description
Unveiling brain activity during social interaction
Social species such as humans and other primates perceive and interpret various environmental and social cues that allow them to make the necessary decisions. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying these processes and how the brain activates these internal representations. The EU-funded AMYGDALA-ELECTROPHYS project will conduct neuronal recordings in rats to investigate the activity in the basolateral amygdala complex (BLA) during social interaction. By decoding this activity, researchers will determine and understand the factors (such as gender and age) that drive neuronal computations in the BLA and hence social behaviour.
Objective
The accurate perception and interpretation of social stimuli is crucial for survival in social species including rodents, primates and humans. Before deciding whether to mate, fight or avoid, an animal must process multisensory cues to activate an internal representation of the social environment that answers key questions (Sex? Age? Friend? Foe? Previously encountered?). Little is known about how the brain develops and activates this representation. We will focus on the role of neuronal firing in the basolateral amygdala complex (BLA) in processing and integrating social cues.
In the first stage of this research, we will use neuropixel silicon probes to conduct large-scale recordings of the BLA in rats during social interaction with conspecifics (juvenile rats, male rats and female rats). We can record from large populations of neurons across weeks in freely-moving rats during social interaction. Second, by analysing the activity of single neurons in the BLA, we can characterize the specificity and responsivity of single neurons to social interaction and understand the mitigating factors (gender of conspecific, sexual receptivity, age, previous history). Third, we can decode the population activity of the BLA during social activity to understand how BLA connectivity changes during social interaction and with experience. Finally, we will use optical tagging of anatomically-defined ensembles of BLA neurons to understand how BLA projections code for specific properties of social activity. Success in this project will provide an understanding of how neural computation occurs within the BLA.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EFCoordinator
WC1E 6BT London
United Kingdom