Metadata language
Ensemble encoding of self- and other-related behaviors in the medial prefrontal cortex : PhD thesis
Creator: Institutional creator:Instytut Biologii Doświadczalnej im. Marcelego Nenckiego PAN
Contributor:Knapska, Ewelina (1977- ) : Supervisor ; Kondrakiewicz, Kacper : Auxiliary supervisor
Publisher:Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology PAS
Place of publishing: Date issued/created: Description:76 pages : illustrations ; 30 cm ; Bibliography ; Summary in Polish
Degree name: Degree discipline : Degree grantor:Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology PAS ; degree obtained: 27.06.2025
Type of object: Subject and Keywords:Mirror neurons ; Population coding ; Electrophysiology ; Social behavior ; Medial prefrontal cortex
Abstract:
Social transfer of information (also called observational learning) is fundamental to establishing a functional social structure in which individuals can benefit from being part of a group. Key advantages of social groups - such as increased safety, improved food security, and enhanced offspring survival - rely heavily on the transfer of social information. While there is evidence in support of social information transfer in rodents, exactly where and how those observed behaviors are encoded in the brain remains unclear. The current mainstream approach to this problem centers on mirror neurons. This framework is based on the fundamental assumption that recognizing states or behaviors in others requires the activation of at least a subset of the same neurons that would be engaged during the observer's execution of similar behaviors. However, as of now, the research on mirror neurons has mainly focused on the motor and proprioceptive areas of the brain, with only recent findings reporting the existence of ‘emotional mirror neurons’ in the anterior cingulate cortex of rats. Given the role of the medial prefrontal cortex in observational learning and other social tasks, we decided to investigate further if and how behaviors of others can be encoded within this brain structure. This study aimed to elucidate the role of the medial prefrontal cortex in interaction between individuals by combining a well-established behavioral protocol with modern approaches to behavioral and electrophysiological data analysis. We show that rats - at least when under threat - pay attention to the behavior of their social partners. Furthermore, using extracellular electrophysiological recordings with silicon probes in freely moving animals, we show that the information about the partner’s behavior is encoded at the population level in the medial prefrontal cortex along with encoding of self behavior. Importantly, the same information could not be reliably extracted at the level of single neurons. We propose that studying the medial prefrontal cortex’s activity at the populational level, rather than focusing on the mirror activity of single cells, is better suited to capturing the associative role of this brain region.
Copyright-protected material. May be used within the limits of statutory user freedoms
Copyright holder:Publication made available with the written permission of the author
Digitizing institution:Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences
Original in:Library of the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology PAS
Access: