动物造模 z-bio 2021-11-06 313

　　In a new study, Monique Smith, Naoyuki Asada, and Robert Malenka from Stanford University found that when the pain, fear, and pain of other mice were relieved, certain parts of the mouse brain became active Neural circuit. The three researchers described their research on activating the neural circuits of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in mice during empathy (also translated as empathy), and their effects on these nerves. Understanding of the loop.

　　Previous research has shown that many animals have some form of empathy towards their companions. For example, if a dog sees another dog in pain, it will sometimes act as if it is also in pain. Similarly, if a mouse shows signs of fear, other nearby mice will almost start to show similar behaviors. Of course, humans will also experience empathy. However, the brain mechanism responsible for empathy has always been mysterious. In this new study, these researchers are trying to learn more about how empathy generally works in the mammalian brain. To this end, they let the test mice experience pain, fear-induced activity, and pain relief, while monitoring the brains of observer mice.

　　Previous studies have shown that ACC is the brain area most activated when animals experience empathy, but the related neural circuits have not been studied until now. In order for the brain to process information and then respond to it, parts of the brain are activated when information processing occurs. After this activation, electrical signals are usually transmitted along the neural circuit to other parts of the brain that participate in the response.

　　In order to study the dynamic changes of the empathy response in the mouse brain, these researchers first connected observation mice to observe their brain actions. Then, the observation mice watched another mouse get startled, eliciting a pain response--they also watched other mice get startled, and they experienced a decrease in pain (although morphine was used).

　　These researchers discovered that when observing mice experience pain while observing their peers, ACC transmits signals to the nucleus accumbens. When an observing partner experiences fear, it sends a signal to the basolateral amygdala. Interestingly, they found that the signal was also sent to the nucleus accumbens when observing mice observed relief from their peers' pain.