Topic: microendoscopic calcium imaging

The ability to remember and recognize other individuals is crucial for complex social behaviors. Although the hippocampus is known to be fundamental for social memory (Hitti & Siegelbaum, 2014), how this region represents and supports the two processes of social recognition - familiarity and recollection - remains unknown. We used microendoscopic calcium imaging to measure the activity of hippocampal dorsal CA2 pyramidal neurons (dCA2) - a region known for its importance in social memory - in mice interacting with novel and familiar conspecifics in different spatial contexts. Through a dec

Social interactions imply dynamic and synergic feedback loops in which actions, reactions, and internal states of each partner is modulated by the others. In this framework, interacting brains appear to operate as an integrated system, showing shared neural dynamics coevolving over time. In-phase brain oscillation alignment have been found in interacting people, but also in monkeys, bats, and mice. However, how emotional alterations can influence interbrain synchrony (IBS) is still unclear. Here, combining microendoscopic calcium imaging within the Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC or Area 24) wi

Humans and social animals interpret the body language of others to infer intentions and adjust their actions instantaneously. To explore neural representations of conspecific kinematics during goal-directed behavior, we trained pairs of freely moving mice to jointly perform a two-alternative forced-choice task. The mice had to discriminate the location of a visual grating to earn water rewards. Using high-speed videography, we showed that mice engage in stereotypical trajectories from the trial initiation site to the chosen reward lick port across hundreds of trials. By decomposing movement in

Maternal care is essential for infant survival across mammalian species. In rodents, a classical maternal behavior, retrieving astray pups back to the nest (“pup retrieval”), is broadly expressed by mothers, even those with no previous experience (e.g., primiparous mothers), suggesting that this behavior emerges through hard-wired neural mechanisms that are activated during motherhood. However, sexually- and pup-naïve female mice (virgins) are also able to perform this behavior if exposed to mothers and their litter, insinuating that there is a learning component to this behavior that is indep