Topic: escape behavior

Neural circuits encode and transmit information to support a diversity of tasks. Such neural coding is corrupted by noise and uncertainty, which in turn results in different magnitudes of error in the signals that are received by downstream regions. Therefore, even in the same task and given a fixed distribution of input signals, the performance of a neural code is characterized by a distribution of errors. Different task demands might necessitate distributions with different properties; for example, a task that requires avoiding failure at all costs might necessitate coding schemes that minim

In a recent experiment, Shamash et al. demonstrated that mice spontaneously adopt a subgoal strategy when escaping to a shelter hidden behind a wall. Their optimized trajectory, learned in 1-3 trials, involves running straight to a subgoal located at the edge of the wall, and then to the shelter. Strikingly, even if the wall is removed, animals consistently show curved escape trajectories, revealing that they continue to use the subgoal even though this involves a detour. This behavior can disappear depending on the details of the environment configuration during initial exploration, and can s

When confronted with immediate threats, selecting the appropriate behavior at the right moment is essential for survival. Animals must constantly process information from the environment to accurately identify potential danger and respond by escaping to safety. While escape is largely instinctive, it is also adaptable, allowing animals to adjust to changing environmental conditions and internal states. The superior colliculus and dorsal periaqueductal gray (dPAG) play a crucial role in the neural circuitry responsible for processing threatening cues and triggering escape responses. However, th

To survive, organisms must make rapid inferences about their surroundings. For example, to successfully escape approaching predators, prey must estimate the direction of approach from noisy stimuli [1]. Such rapid inferences are particularly challenging because there is little time to gather sensory information, yet the precision of inference is critical for survival. Due to evolutionary pressures, nervous systems likely evolved effective computational strategies that enable accurate inferences under strong time limitations. Here, we aim to understand the principles underlying such rapid infe

Animals faced with predatorial threats innately react by escaping to safety. Although escape is instinctive, it is also flexible enough to adapt to dynamic changes in the environment. For example, animals adapt to the risk of predation by increasing escape probability when there is a higher incidence of predator attacks. This flexibility is critical for maximizing the adaptiveness of behavioural choices, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Previous work has shown that activation of neurons in the dorsal periaqueductal gray (dPAG) is the main step for commanding escape initiation. Here w

To survive, animals have to finely regulate their threat assessment and escape behavior. In mice, the brainstem dorsal periaqueductal gray (dPAG) generates innate defensive behaviors towards a multitude of threats, including predators, prey, and aggressive conspecifics. dPAG integrates threat information coming from diverse inputs with cognitive information coming from cortical areas such as the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Glutamatergic layer 5 neurons in ACC project to dPAG where they inhibit the expression of defensive behavior. In vivo single-unit recordings in dPAG identified two majo

Evolution has preserved many molecular pathways, establishing invertebrates as versatile models for exploring the fundamental and universal processes of CNS physiology and pathology. Among them, the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis serves as an effective model organism for Translational Neuroscience due to its relatively simple CNS and open circulatory system, simplifying the exploration of the complexity of conserved molecular pathways and allowing to investigate how drugs can modulate neuronal functions and behaviors. In this study, we discovered that, despite never encountering natural predator