A neuro-behavioural model of neophobia

Abstract

Fear can be defined as the internal neurological state that releases a repertoire of behaviours an animal performs to reduce the effect of an aversive factor. Neophobia, the fear of novelty, is a fundamental behavioural trait observed across a wide range of species from arthropods to humans. It has been extensively studied by ecologists and psychologists for decades. However, despite its roots in fear, there is a surprising lack of connection between the literature on neophobia and the rich body of research on the neurology of fear. Fear has been studied at the hormonal, network, and cellular levels in the context of fear learning, extinction, and innate responses. Herein, we aim to link the phenotypic expression of the fear of novelty with its underlying neurological mechanisms. Using the mammalian brain as a model system, we construct a neurobiologically based conceptual model to explain the factors influencing neophobic behaviour. We then review existing studies through the lens of our model and demonstrate its utility in exploring natural selection and phenotypic plasticity by integrating behavioural experiments and neurological insights. While behavioural ecology has traditionally focused on observable behaviour without considering the neural mechanisms behind it, we argue that incorporating neurological knowledge can greatly enhance ecological understanding. In the case of neophobia, such integration is not only possible but necessary, and thus the connection between behaviour and brain is both timely and essential.