Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience最新文献

{"title":"NRBF2 plays a crucial role in the acquisition process of learning and memory, independent of the Vps34 complex.","authors":"Songfen Wu, Haicai Zhuang, Xidan Zhou, Kuan Li","doi":"10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1529522","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1529522","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>NRBF2, a component of autophagy-associated PIK3C3/VPS34-containing phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase complex, plays a crucial role in learning and memory processes, yet its specific impact on memory and the underlying molecular mechanisms remains unclear.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Here, we utilized NRBF2 knockout mice to examine its influence on the time course of fear memory. Employing quantitative PCR, Western blot analysis, behavioral tests, and electrophysiology, we investigated the mechanisms through which NRBF2 affects memory processing.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We observed an increase in <i>Nrbf2</i> mRNA levels at 6 and 12 h, and protein levels at 6 h post fear conditioning. Depletion of NRBF2 impaired memory acquisition, short-term, and long-term memory without causing any anxiety-like behavior. Interestingly, inhibition of Vps34 and autophagy by SAR405 disrupted fear memory consolidation, while leaving memory acquisition, short-term memory, and long-term potentiation (LTP) unaffected. Our results suggested that NRBF2 deletion impaired memory acquisition through an autophagy-independent pathway and provided novel insights into the role of NRBF2 in the central nervous system.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>This study offer new insights into the role of NRBF2 and highlight the potential of targeting NRBF2 as a therapeutic strategy for addressing cognitive deficits associated with various disorders.</p>","PeriodicalId":12368,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience","volume":"19 ","pages":"1529522"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11861080/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143515101","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Olfaction-based learned preference assessment without the use of motivational fear or motivational weight loss.","authors":"Sara E Moss, Ekaterina S McCurdy, Natalya N Thomas, Danielle Gulick, Angela M Poff, Dominic P D'Agostino","doi":"10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1521751","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1521751","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Reliable assessments of learning ability in preclinical models are essential for studying neurodegenerative, developmental, and inflammatory disorders. However, many inbred strains of mice present background pathologies that interfere with traditional learning tests. The C57BL/6 J mouse, a widely used laboratory strain, sporadically develops auditory and visual impairments that complicate interpretation. In this study, we establish an olfaction-based learned preference protocol designed to evaluate learning ability independent of fear responses, motivational weight loss, or visual cues in C57BL/6 J mice.</p><p><strong>Methods and results: </strong>Leveraging the species' natural preference for sweet flavors, we tested different sweeteners and confirmed their passive preference for sucrose was more robust than for saccharin or sucralose. We then trained mice to associate either lemon or rose scents with a sucrose paste reward, and tested whether they demonstrated a learned preference for the sucrose-associated scent over the neutral scent. Mice developed an appetitive olfactory preference for sucrose as a reward, in the absence of motivational weight loss, as measured by time spent exploring a three-chamber association box with access to both scents. We assessed whether this protocol discriminated learning deficit induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>We conclude that this protocol is a viable tool for assessing learning abilities in preclinical models with auditory or visual deficits, motor impairments, or an inability to tolerate motivational weight loss.</p>","PeriodicalId":12368,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience","volume":"19 ","pages":"1521751"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11861198/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143515105","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of virtual agent facial emotions and attention on N170 ERP amplitude: comparative study.","authors":"Luisa Kirasirova, Olga Maslova, Vasiliy Pyatin","doi":"10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1523705","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1523705","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>It is known from the literature that face perception of virtual agents affects the amplitude and latency of the ERP components. However, sensitivity of the N170 component to virtual agent facial emotions, and level of attention to facial emotional expressions were not investigated in the virtual reality environment by now, which was the aim of our study.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>EEG recording, 2D and 3D visual testing of the neutral, happy and disgusted facial emotions of virtual agents were used. The protocol consisted of three sessions in the attentional condition of participants to each facial emotion (passive, active, and active to neutral facial emotional expression). The amplitudes of the N170 ERP were also reflected in the comparative analysis between 2D and VR.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In the context of virtual agent facial emotional expressions, we identified the following dynamics of the N170 amplitude: attention (passive/active) showed no signaling effect; active attention to neutral virtual agent facial emotions reduced the N170 amplitude; significant interactions were observed between the factors \"emotion × attention\" and \"environment × attention,\" but no interaction was found among all three factors.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The immersive quality of the environment in which visual and emotional events are presented has a less pronounced effect on early-stage facial processing at N170 amplitude. Thus, our findings indicate that the N170 amplitude is primarily modulated by the emotional content and attention directed to virtual agent facial emotional expressions.</p>","PeriodicalId":12368,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience","volume":"19 ","pages":"1523705"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11847822/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143491463","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Conscious and unconscious processes in vision and homeostasis.","authors":"Athanassios S Fokas, Nikos K Logothetis","doi":"10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1516127","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1516127","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The central and autonomic communications affecting cognition, emotions, and visceral functions, are determined by the interaction of unconscious and conscious processes. In this regard, we discuss two basic hypotheses. First, <i>unconscious and conscious processes form a dynamic organizational continuum</i>. Second, <i>emotions, which are unconscious forms of feeling, characterize the response of an organism to any internal change disturbing homeostasis or to any change in the exterior of the organism detected via specialized sensory probes</i>. The former hypothesis is illustrated by discussing aspects of visual perception. The validity of the second hypothesis is supported by discussing interactions between unconscious and conscious process necessary for maintaining energy and water balance.</p>","PeriodicalId":12368,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience","volume":"19 ","pages":"1516127"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11842375/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143482585","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sensation seeking and risk adjustment: the role of reward sensitivity in dynamic risky decisions.","authors":"Yin Qianlan, Chen Shou, Hou Tianya, Dong Wei, Taosheng Liu","doi":"10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1492312","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1492312","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The primary objective of our research is to delve into the relationships between sensation seeking (SS), reward sensitivity (RS), and risk adjustment (RA) within the context of dynamic risk-taking behaviors. By integrating the reinforcement learning model and neural measures obtained from dynamic risk-taking tasks, we aim to explore how these personality traits influence individual decision-making processes and engagement in risk-related activities. We aim to dissect the neural and cognitive mechanisms underlying this interplay, thereby shedding light on the stable brain-based characteristics contributing to the observed variability in risk-taking and decision-making behaviors. Understanding these links could significantly enhance our ability to predict individual differences in risk preferences and develop targeted interventions for managing risky behaviors across different contexts.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>We developed a task to measure RA through a structured yet uncertain environment modeled after the Balloon Analog Risk Task. We enlisted 80 young adults to perform this task, and of these, 40 were subjected to electroencephalography (EEG) to assess neural correlates of RS. Subsequently, we analyzed event-related potentials and spectral perturbations to discern neural distinctions related to RS. We compared these distinctions concerning RA among participants exhibiting different levels of SS.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Individuals exhibiting higher levels of SS (HSS) in the study displayed a tendency to disregard past risks, potentially resulting in diminished behavioral adaptability. EEG results indicated that individuals with HSS exhibited reduced neural responses to feedback compared to those with low SS, potentially affecting their feedback processing and decision-making. Moreover, the comparison of effects underscores the significant impact of RS and SS on shaping RA during dynamic decision-making scenarios.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study has advanced the understanding of how SS and RS influence RA, revealing that RS prompts RA, while individuals with HSS often exhibit blunted RS, leading to worse RA. Future research should focus on the specific aspects of HSS and their implications for decision-making across different risk contexts. Employing advanced neuroimaging and cognitive modeling techniques will be pivotal in unraveling the neural mechanisms driving these individual differences in risky behavior.</p>","PeriodicalId":12368,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience","volume":"19 ","pages":"1492312"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11842430/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143482608","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A critical opinion on adult endogenous neurogenesis as a brain repair mechanism after traumatic brain injury.","authors":"Andrea Aguilar-Arredondo, Angélica Zepeda","doi":"10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1543122","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1543122","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12368,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience","volume":"19 ","pages":"1543122"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11841385/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143467476","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sex-based differences in the long-term fate of hippocampal neurons born after a traumatic brain injury.","authors":"Hannah C Downing, Ashley B Glover, Jessica E Gebhardt, Katherine L Thompson, Kathryn E Saatman","doi":"10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1523969","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1523969","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) results in an early loss of immature hippocampal granule cells and the activation of typically quiescent neural stem cells (NSCs) in the dentate gyrus. Activation of NSCs leads to a robust increase in proliferation and generation of neural progenitor cells (NPCs), supporting restoration of the immature neuron population of over a period of 1-2 weeks. However, it is unclear if neurons born early after injury develop normally, survive long-term and functionally integrate into the hippocampal network. Although adult hippocampal neurogenesis is regulated in a sex-dependent manner, the majority of pre-clinical TBI studies lack the inclusion of both sexes. The goal of this study was to examine sex differences in hippocampal neurogenesis in response to a moderate controlled cortical impact brain injury.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong><i>In-vivo</i> labeling of NPCs and tracking of their morphological development into a granule cell was achieved using an inducible Cre recombinase driven by the Ascl1 promoter in a CAG-floxStopTom reporter mouse. Ascl1 is a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor transiently expressed in NPCs and activated NSCs in the dentate gyrus of the adult mammalian brain. To specifically label NPCs born acutely after TBI, tamoxifen was delivered to mice on days 2 and 3 postinjury. Mice survived to 6 weeks after TBI to allow for full neuronal maturation of tdTomato-labeled NPCs.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>At 6 weeks postinjury, numbers of tdTomato-positive granule cells were significantly reduced in the ipsilateral hippocampus of brain-injured mice compared to controls, with a more pronounced decrease in males. Further, posttrauma-born neurons in males, but not females, exhibited impaired dendritic development. Neurons born after injury extended axons which formed synaptic terminals within the CA3 region. Numbers of mossy fiber boutons were significantly decreased in injured males compared to naïve males or to injured females. Potential forms of plasticity were observed in brain-injured females, including increased neurogenesis in the contralateral hippocampus and increased mossy fiber bouton volume. Together these data suggest a neurogenic advantage in females after injury.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>This study is the first to report sex differences in posttraumatic hippocampal neurogenesis and to demonstrate modification of synaptic terminals formed by neurons born after TBI.</p>","PeriodicalId":12368,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience","volume":"19 ","pages":"1523969"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11836013/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143457304","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Modeling dynamics on the dance floor with directional swarmalators.","authors":"Petri Toiviainen, Joshua S Bamford, Marc R Thompson","doi":"10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1534371","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1534371","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Understanding collective behavior in both biological and social contexts, such as human interactions on dance floors, is a growing field of interest. Spatiotemporal dynamics of collective behavior have previously been modeled, for instance, with swarmalators, which are dynamical units that exhibit both swarming behavior and synchronization, combining spatial movement and entrainment. In our current study, we have expanded the swarmalator concept to encompass gaze direction as a representation of visual attention. We employ the newly developed directional swarmalator model for simulating the complex spatiotemporal dynamics observed on dance floors. Our model aims to reflect the complex dynamics of collective movement, as well as rhythmic synchronization and gaze alignment. It establishes a quantitative framework to dissect how individuals on dance floors self-organize and generate emergent patterns in response to both musical stimuli and visual perception of other dancers. The inclusion of gaze direction allows for the simulation of realistic scenarios on dance floors, mirroring the dynamic interplay of human movement in rhythm-driven environments. The model is initially tested against motion capture recordings of two groups dancing in a silent disco, however, it is theoretically adaptable to a variety of scenarios, including varying group sizes, adjustable degrees of auditory and visual coupling, as well as modifiable interaction ranges, making it a generic tool for exploring collective behavior in musical settings. The development of the directional swarmalator model contributes to understanding social dynamics in shared music and dance experiences.</p>","PeriodicalId":12368,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience","volume":"19 ","pages":"1534371"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11835799/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143457300","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The visuomotor synchronization immersive virtual reality of a depression avatar in a stigma context experience mobilizes the fronto-parietal cortex and anterior insula.","authors":"Kelssy Hitomi Dos Santos Kawata, Wey Guan Lem, Koki Ono, Hiroshi Oyama","doi":"10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1526684","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1526684","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>The gradual synchronization of the movement of one's real hand with a virtual one can effectively induce a sense of embodiment (SoE) with an avatar with depression. Although neuroimaging studies have explored the neural correlates of some SoE subcomponents of visuomotor synchronization, the neural correlates of individual differences in SoE and how humans acquire virtual body representations through SoE subcomponents remain to be investigated.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Here, we used the right hand of a virtual patient with depression in immersive virtual reality (IVR) to induce SoE in participants and measured whole brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Participants were instructed to listen to the audio recording of the IVR experience and visualize movements during the fMRI scan. fMRI data were acquired before and immediately after the visuomotor synchronization IVR experience (target condition) or an asynchronized video experience (control condition), followed by embodiment measures related to the two types of experiences.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>All five subcomponents of SoE (sense of ownership, sense of agency, sense of localization, appearance, and response to stimuli) were significantly increased during the visuomotor synchronization IVR experience compared with the asynchronized video experience. A significant negative effect of the SoE score was identified in the frontoparietal and anterior insula only for the visuomotor synchronization IVR experience of guiding the virtual right hand of the avatar with depression, implicating interoceptive and multisensory integration.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>We demonstrated that all five subcomponents of the SoE were present, and that decreased activity in the frontoparietal and anterior insula were crucial brain regions for the virtual human body to be perceived as one's own body and promote conscious feelings of embodiment.</p>","PeriodicalId":12368,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience","volume":"19 ","pages":"1526684"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11825457/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143432515","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Improved jet lag recovery is associated with a weaker molecular biological clock response around the time of expected activity onset.","authors":"Marie-Claire Boutrin, Melissa E S Richardson, Feyikemi Oriola, Samira Bolo","doi":"10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1535124","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1535124","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Properly timed environmental light input to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the brain is crucial in maintaining the 24-hour biological rhythm (circadian rhythm). However, light exposure at the wrong time of the day-night cycle is disruptive to circadian-regulated behaviors such as the sleep-wake cycle and memory. While factors such as jet lag, variations in day length, and light at night are known disruptors to the timing of activity onset following rest, the molecular consequence of the intersection of multiple disruptions is less understood.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Here, we expose mice to a jet lag paradigm under two light-dark (LD) conditions (12:12 LD and 8:16 LD) coupled with additional light exposure at night during the recovery period (known as negative masking), previously demonstrated to improve jet lag-related memory loss in mice.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Our results show that jet lag exposure in both LD cycles (to a greater extent in 8:16 LD) increased the fold-change of circadian gene expression in the SCN relative to the dark onset. The further addition of light during the jet lag recovery period reduced typical changes in circadian gene expression in the SCN to minimal levels under both LD cycles.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>This study uncovers a novel explanation for the impact of multiple disruptive light exposures on gene expression of the molecular SCN clock in the brain.</p>","PeriodicalId":12368,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience","volume":"19 ","pages":"1535124"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11825751/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143432507","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}