Quantifying Sociability in Groups of Mice Through Pairwise Interaction Modeling in a Semi-Naturalistic Environment

Concepts de base

Pairwise interaction models can quantify sociability in groups of mice by distinguishing individual preferences from social interactions, and reveal changes in social structure after impairing neuronal plasticity in the prelimbic cortex.

Résumé

The study combines high-throughput data collected from mice housed in an ecologically-relevant environment (Eco-HAB) with statistical inference models to learn the rules controlling the collective dynamics of mouse groups.

Key highlights:

• Pairwise interaction models can accurately capture the statistics of co-localization patterns in mouse groups, including higher-order correlations.
• The inferred pairwise interactions are stable over time, while individual preferences for specific spaces vary more.
• Impairing neuronal plasticity in the prelimbic cortex increases the variability of pairwise interactions and the mutual information between individual mouse locations and the rest of the group, suggesting disruption of information transmission.
• The increase in a measure of "dissatisfaction" in mouse triplets indicates the impairment makes it harder for the group to form stable social structures.
• The approach provides a quantitative tool to study sociability in mice, which can be applied to different strains and behavioral phenotypes.

Stats

"The activity level for a given mouse i during a given time period (ti, tf) on day d, is computed by counting the number of times the mouse passes by any antenna, iand denoted by."
"Averaging this quantity over all N mice, one obtain the mean activity level for all mice during a given time period. Mathematically, ."
"Averaging this quantity over all T days, one obtain the mean activity level for each mouse. Mathematically, ."

Citations

"Social behavior is essential in many animal species, including human societies. With a vastly diverse manifestation from the Mexican waves in a football stadium to the waggle dance of bees, it is a key question to understand how these social behaviors emerge, and what the roles of individuals are in a social network."
"Disentangling these elements is indispensable to understand how social networks and hierarchies are established and how information is passed on in a horde. It requires high-resolution quantitive measurements of behavior over long periods, as well as statistical modeling to harness natural variability."
"Herein, we focus on pairwise interactions between all possible dyads of mice within a group to ensure statistical power. Can the collective behavior in a horde of mice be explained by interactions between pairs? How much does the social structure change as a function of time?"

Idées clés tirées de

Modelling collective behavior in groups of mice housed under semi-naturalistic conditions

by Chen,X., Win... à www.biorxiv.org 07-28-2023

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.26.550619v1

Questions plus approfondies

How would the results differ if the spatial resolution of the Eco-HAB system was higher, allowing for more detailed tracking of mouse movements and interactions

If the spatial resolution of the Eco-HAB system was higher, allowing for more detailed tracking of mouse movements and interactions, the results of the study would likely show a more nuanced understanding of social behavior within the mouse groups. With finer spatial resolution, researchers would be able to capture more intricate details of how mice interact with each other, such as specific social behaviors, proximity preferences, and group dynamics. This increased level of detail could lead to a more precise quantification of sociability, including the identification of subtle social cues, hierarchical structures within the group, and potentially the formation of subgroups or cliques within the larger cohort. Additionally, higher spatial resolution could provide insights into individual variations in social behavior and the impact of specific interactions on the overall group dynamics. Overall, the results would be more granular and comprehensive, offering a deeper understanding of the social interactions and behaviors of mice in a group setting.

What other brain regions, besides the prelimbic cortex, might play important roles in regulating social behavior and information transmission in mouse groups

In addition to the prelimbic cortex, several other brain regions may play important roles in regulating social behavior and information transmission in mouse groups. One key region is the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), which is involved in social cognition, decision-making, and emotional processing. The mPFC has been implicated in social interactions, empathy, and the processing of social information, making it a crucial area for understanding social behaviors in mice. The amygdala, known for its role in emotional processing and social behaviors, may also influence social interactions and sociability in mouse groups. The hippocampus, involved in memory and spatial navigation, could impact how mice navigate and interact within their environment, affecting their social dynamics. Additionally, the hypothalamus, responsible for regulating various physiological functions, including social behaviors and responses to social stimuli, may contribute to the modulation of social interactions in mouse groups. By considering the interconnected neural circuits and regions involved in social behavior, researchers can gain a more comprehensive understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying sociability in mice.

How could the insights from this study on mouse sociability be applied to understanding social dynamics in human groups or other animal species

The insights gained from this study on mouse sociability can be applied to understanding social dynamics in human groups and other animal species. By studying the collective behavior of mice in a group setting, researchers can uncover fundamental principles of social interactions, information transmission, and group dynamics that may be applicable across species. Understanding how social networks and hierarchies are established in mouse groups can provide valuable insights into similar processes in human societies, such as the formation of social structures, the transmission of information and behaviors, and the impact of individual preferences on group dynamics. The findings from this study can inform research on social behavior in humans, including studies on social networks, group decision-making, and the role of social interactions in shaping behaviors and attitudes. Additionally, the knowledge gained from studying mouse sociability can be translated to other animal species, helping researchers understand the universal principles of social behavior and the mechanisms underlying collective dynamics in diverse groups of organisms.