Summary: Mice display behavior akin to self-recognition when viewing their reflections in mirrors. This behavior emerges under specific conditions: familiarity with mirrors, socialization with similar-looking mice, and visible markings on their fur.
The study also identifies a subset of neurons in the hippocampus that are crucial for this self-recognition-like behavior. These findings provide valuable insights into the neural mechanisms behind self-recognition, a previously enigmatic aspect of neurobehavioral research.
Key Facts:
Source: Cell Press
Researchers report December 5 in the journalNeuronthat mice display behavior that resembles self-recognition when they see themselves in the mirror. When the researchers marked the foreheads of black-furred mice with a spot of white ink, the mice spent more time grooming their heads in front of the mirrorpresumably to try and wash away the ink spot.
However, the mice only showed this self-recognition-like behavior if they were already accustomed to mirrors, if they had socialized with other mice who looked like them, and if the ink spot was relatively large.
The team identified a subset of neurons in the hippocampus that are involved in developing and storing this visual self-image, providing a first glimpse of the neural mechanisms behind self-recognition, something that was previously a black box in neurobehavioral research.
To form episodic memory, for example, of events in our daily life, brains form and store information about where, what, when, and who, and the most important component is self-information or status, says neuroscientist and senior author Takashi Kitamura of University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
Researchers usually examine how the brain encodes or recognizes others, but the self-information aspect is unclear.
The researchers used a mirror test to investigate whether mice could detect a change in their own appearancein this case, a dollop of ink on their foreheads. Because the ink also provided a tactile stimulus, the researchers tested the black-furred mice with both black and white ink.
Though the mirror test was originally developed to test consciousness in different species, the authors note that their experiments only show that mice can detect a change in their own appearance, but this does not necessarily mean that they are self-aware.
They found that mice could indeed detect changes to their appearance, but only under certain conditions. Mice who were familiar with mirrors spent significantly more time grooming their heads (but not other parts of their bodies) in front of the mirror when they were marked with dollops of white ink that were 0.6 cm2or 2 cm2.
However, the mice did not engage in increased head grooming when the ink was blackthe same color as their furor when the ink mark was small (0.2 cm2), even if the ink was white, and mice who were not habituated to mirrors before the ink test did not display increased head grooming in any scenario.
The mice required significant external sensory cues to pass the mirror testwe have to put a lot of ink on their heads, and then the tactile stimulus coming from the ink somehow enables the animal to detect the ink on their heads via a mirror reflection, says first author Jun Yokose of University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Chimps and humans dont need any of that extra sensory stimulus.
Using gene expression mapping, the researchers identified a subset of neurons in the ventral hippocampus that were activated when the mice recognized themselves in the mirror. When the researchers selectively rendered these neurons non-functional, the mice no longer displayed the mirror-and-ink-induced grooming behavior.
A subset of these self-responding neurons also became activated when the mice observed other mice of the same strain (and therefore similar physical appearance and fur color), but not when they observed a different strain of mouse that had white fur.
Because previous studies in chimpanzees have suggested that social experience is required for mirror self-recognition, the researchers also tested mice who had been socially isolated after weaning. These socially isolated mice did not display increased head grooming behavior during the ink test, and neither did black-furred mice that were reared alongside white-furred mice.
The gene expression analysis also showed that socially isolated mice did not develop self-responding neuron activity in the hippocampus, and neither did the black-furred mice that were reared by white-furred mice, suggesting that mice need to have social experiences alongside other similar-looking mice in order to develop the neural circuits required for self-recognition.
A subset of these self-responding neurons was also reactivated when we exposed the mice to other individuals of the same strain, says Kitamura.
This is consistent with previous human literature that showed that some hippocampal cells fire not only when the person is looking at themselves, but also when they look at familiar people like a parent.
Next, the researchers plan to try to disentangle the importance of visual and tactile stimuli to test whether mice can recognize changes in their reflection in the absence of a tactile stimulusperhaps by using technology similar to the filters on social media apps that allow people to give themselves puppy-dog faces or bunny ears.
They also plan to study other brain regions that might be involved in self-recognition and to investigate how the different regions communicate and integrate information.
Now that we have this mouse model, we can manipulate or monitor neural activity to comprehensively investigate the neural circuit mechanisms behind how self-recognition-like behavior is induced in mice, says Yokose.
Funding: This research was supported by the Endowed Scholar Program, the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, the Daiichi Sankyo Foundation of Life Science, and Uehara Memorial Foundation.
Author: Kristopher Benke Source: Cell Press Contact: Kristopher Benke Cell Press Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access. Visuotactile integration facilitates mirror-induced self-directed behavior through activation of hippocampal neuronal ensembles in mice by Takashi Kitamura et al. Neuron
Abstract
Visuotactile integration facilitates mirror-induced self-directed behavior through activation of hippocampal neuronal ensembles in mice
Remembering the visual features of oneself is critical for self-recognition. However, the neural mechanisms of how the visual self-image is developed remain unknown because of the limited availability of behavioral paradigms in experimental animals.
Here, we demonstrate a mirror-induced self-directed behavior (MSB) in mice, resembling visual self-recognition. Mice displayed increased mark-directed grooming to remove ink placed on their heads when an ink-induced visual-tactile stimulus contingency occurred. MSB required mirror habituation and social experience.
The chemogenetic inhibition of dorsal or ventral hippocampal CA1 (vCA1) neurons attenuated MSB. Especially, a subset of vCA1 neurons activated during the mirror exposure was significantly reactivated during re-exposure to the mirror and was necessary for MSB.
The self-responding vCA1 neurons were also reactivated when mice were exposed to a conspecific of the same strain.
These results suggest that visual self-image may be developed through social experience and mirror habituation and stored in a subset of vCA1 neurons.
View original post here:
Mirror Insight: Mice Show Glimpses of Self-Recognition - Neuroscience News
- Marcus Neuroscience Institute to Host Brain and Spine Symposium - South Florida Hospital News - March 30th, 2025 [March 30th, 2025]
- Elon University to launch neuroscience major in fall 2025 - Today at Elon - March 30th, 2025 [March 30th, 2025]
- The brains stalwart sentinels express an unexpected gene - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - March 30th, 2025 [March 30th, 2025]
- Video catches microglia in the act of synaptic pruning - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - March 30th, 2025 [March 30th, 2025]
- Null and Noteworthy: Reexamining registered reports - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - March 30th, 2025 [March 30th, 2025]
- Accepting the bitter lesson and embracing the brains complexity - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - March 30th, 2025 [March 30th, 2025]
- NIH neurodevelopmental assessment system now available as iPad app - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - March 30th, 2025 [March 30th, 2025]
- Stronger Bonds Before Birth Shape Healthier Mother-Child Futures - Neuroscience News - March 30th, 2025 [March 30th, 2025]
- How Emotionally Intelligent People Learn to Control Their Inner Voice, Backed by Neuroscience - Inc. - March 30th, 2025 [March 30th, 2025]
- Gabriele Scheler reflects on the interplay between language, thought and AI - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - March 30th, 2025 [March 30th, 2025]
- Worlds first crowd-sourced neuroscience study aims to understand how our brains predict the future - EurekAlert - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- Rewriting Neuroscience: Possible Foundations of Human Intelligence Observed for the First Time - SciTechDaily - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- Calculating neurosciences carbon cost: Q&A with Stefan Pulver and William Smith - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- The future of neuroscience research at U.S. minority-serving institutions is in danger - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- Dopamine and social media: Why you cant stop scrolling, according to neuroscience - PsyPost - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- Neuroscience Discovered a Clever Trick for Squeezing More Joy Out of Everyday Pleasures - Inc. - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- The limits of neuroscience - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- BPOM Explains The Benefits Of Fasting From The Health And Neuroscience Side - VOI English - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- How tiny tardigrades could help tackle systems neuroscience questions - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- Alison Preston explains how our brains form mental frameworks for interpreting the world - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- The Mystical Mind Meets Neuroscience: Seeking the Roots of Consciousness - Next Big Idea Club Magazine - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- Myosin Therapeutics Closes Second Seed Round to Advance Clinical Trials for Innovative Cancer and Neuroscience Therapies - PR Newswire - March 5th, 2025 [March 5th, 2025]
- Neuroscience Ph.D. programs adjust admissions in response to U.S. funding uncertainty - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - March 5th, 2025 [March 5th, 2025]
- New tools help make neuroimaging accessible to more researchers - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - March 5th, 2025 [March 5th, 2025]
- Future Thinking Training Reduces Impulsivity - Neuroscience News - March 5th, 2025 [March 5th, 2025]
- Null and Noteworthy, relaunched: Probing a schizophrenia biomarker - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - March 5th, 2025 [March 5th, 2025]
- How to communicate the value of curiosity-driven research - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - March 5th, 2025 [March 5th, 2025]
- Cognitive neuroscience approach to explore the impact of wind turbine noise on various mental functions - Nature.com - March 5th, 2025 [March 5th, 2025]
- Football on the Brain: Helping coaches embed neuroscience knowledge - Training Ground Guru - March 5th, 2025 [March 5th, 2025]
- Taking Control: Using Neuroscience to Build Better Lives - theLoop - March 5th, 2025 [March 5th, 2025]
- Creating a pipeline of talent to feed the growth of Neuroscience: Lessons from Ghana - Myjoyonline - March 5th, 2025 [March 5th, 2025]
- Exclusive: NIH appears to archive policy requiring female animals in studies - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- Roll On Down The Highway 2025 Tour coming to Neuroscience Group Field - WeAreGreenBay.com - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- STEM organizations host Neuroscience Outreach Fair for local K-12 students - University of Virginia The Cavalier Daily - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- Adapt or die: Safeguarding the future of diversity and inclusion funding in neuroscience - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- The last two-author neuroscience paper? - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- Gate Neurosciences Strengthens Focus on the Synapse as a Therapeutic Target with Acquisition of Boost Neuroscience - Business Wire - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- Why Firefly Neuroscience, Inc. (AIFF) Is Soaring This Year So Far - Yahoo Finance - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- Breaking the barrier between theorists and experimentalists - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- Preserving Brain Health and Advancing Neuroscience - University of Miami - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- Science must step away from nationally managed infrastructure - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- Repurposed Blood Pressure Drug May Treat ADHD - Neuroscience News - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- How to teach students about science funding - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- Reflecting on 2024: Advancing Neuroscience Research to Improve Neurological Health - National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- Brains Hidden Circuitry for Risk and Reward Uncovered - Neuroscience News - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- Why We Keep Exploring Even After Learning the Best Strategy - Neuroscience News - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- Unlocking Cellular Youth: The Protein That Reverses Aging - Neuroscience News - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- This paper changed my Life: Bill Newsome reflects on a quadrilogy of classic visual perception studies - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and... - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- Roundup: The false association between vaccines and autism - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - February 3rd, 2025 [February 3rd, 2025]
- Static pay, shrinking prospects fuel neuroscience postdoc decline - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - February 3rd, 2025 [February 3rd, 2025]
- Stimulating the brain with Damien Fair - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - February 3rd, 2025 [February 3rd, 2025]
- Unhealthy Diet Linked to Faster Biological Aging in Young Adults - Neuroscience News - February 3rd, 2025 [February 3rd, 2025]
- Bob Smittcamp Family Neuroscience Institute coming to Fresno in 2026 - ABC30 News - February 3rd, 2025 [February 3rd, 2025]
- Norton Neuroscience Institute selected to pilot national Brain Health Navigator program - Norton Healthcare - February 3rd, 2025 [February 3rd, 2025]
- Coding bonus: Bats hippocampal cells log spatial, social cues - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - February 3rd, 2025 [February 3rd, 2025]
- ADHD and brainwaves: How neuroscience is changing the way we diagnose the condition - PsyPost - February 3rd, 2025 [February 3rd, 2025]
- David Robbe challenges conventional notions of time and memory - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - February 3rd, 2025 [February 3rd, 2025]
- How the Brain Processes Space and Time - Neuroscience News - February 3rd, 2025 [February 3rd, 2025]
- Using neuroscience to help establish healthier habits | Opinion - South Bend Tribune - February 3rd, 2025 [February 3rd, 2025]
- Solvonis chairman on heavy-hitting M&A in neuroscience sector - ICYMI - Proactive Investors UK - February 3rd, 2025 [February 3rd, 2025]
- New neuroscience research sheds light on distinct patterns of learning and generalization in autistic adults - PsyPost - January 23rd, 2025 [January 23rd, 2025]
- Neuroscientists need to do better at explaining basic mental health research - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - January 23rd, 2025 [January 23rd, 2025]
- How Severance shows the possibilities of cognitive neuroscience - Fast Company - January 23rd, 2025 [January 23rd, 2025]
- AdventHealth Welcomes New Leadership In Heart and Vascular Services, Neuroscience and Orthopedics - Northwest Georgia News - January 23rd, 2025 [January 23rd, 2025]
- School of Neuroscience and Language Sciences Program recognized with University Exemplary Department or Program Award - Virginia Tech - January 23rd, 2025 [January 23rd, 2025]
- Early Exposure to Violent Media Linked to Teen Antisocial Behavior - Neuroscience News - January 23rd, 2025 [January 23rd, 2025]
- The Real Cognitive Neuroscience Behind Severance - WIRED - January 23rd, 2025 [January 23rd, 2025]
- The 15 most popular psychology and neuroscience studies in 2024 - PsyPost - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- The 'lizard brain' lie: How neuroscience demolished the greatest mind myth - BBC Science Focus - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- Revolutionizing Brain Diagnostics with Light and AI - Neuroscience News - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- How Early Experiences Shape Genes, Brain Health, and Resilience - Neuroscience News - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- A nation exhausted: The neuroscience of why Americans are tuning out political news - Indiana Capital Chronicle - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- Lithium Restores Brain Function and Behavior in Autism - Neuroscience News - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- Partners in Diversity presents the science of belonging: exploring the neuroscience of inclusion - Here is Oregon - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- Classical vs. Operant Conditioning: The Brain's Memory Tug-of-War - Neuroscience News - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- The Personality Gap Between Singles and the Partnered - Neuroscience News - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- The Neuroscience Behind Vermeers Girl and Its Hypnotic Power - ZME Science - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- Serotonin, GABA, and Dopamine Drive Hunger and Feeding - Neuroscience News - December 23rd, 2024 [December 23rd, 2024]
- A nation exhausted: The neuroscience of why Americans are tuning out politics - The Conversation - December 23rd, 2024 [December 23rd, 2024]
- UNO Goalie and Neuroscience Grad Shines in Her Athletic and Academic Aspirations - University of Nebraska Omaha - December 23rd, 2024 [December 23rd, 2024]