Neurocircuitry of Predatory Hunting

Abstract

Predatory hunting is an important type of innate behavior evolutionarily conserved across the animal kingdom. It is typically composed of a set of sequential actions, including prey search, pursuit, attack, and consumption. This behavior is subject to control by the nervous system. Early studies used toads as a model to probe the neuroethology of hunting, which led to the proposal of a sensory-triggered release mechanism for hunting actions. More recent studies have used genetically-trackable zebrafish and rodents and have made breakthrough discoveries in the neuroethology and neurocircuits underlying this behavior. Here, we review the sophisticated neurocircuitry involved in hunting and summarize the detailed mechanism for the circuitry to encode various aspects of hunting neuroethology, including sensory processing, sensorimotor transformation, motivation, and sequential encoding of hunting actions. We also discuss the overlapping brain circuits for hunting and feeding and point out the limitations of current studies. We propose that hunting is an ideal behavioral paradigm in which to study the neuroethology of motivated behaviors, which may shed new light on epidemic disorders, including binge-eating, obesity, and obsessive-compulsive disorders.

A molecularly distinct cell type in the midbrain regulates intermale aggression behaviors in mice

“…One of the limitations of our study is, we mainly assess the role of dmPAG Tac2 neurons in intermale aggression, but not in other subtypes of aggressive behaviors such as maternal aggression, when a female defends the newborn pups (Miczek et al, 2001). The PAG is also known as a center in regulating predatory aggression (Zhao et al, 2023), in which the lPAG mainly recruited for sensory processing (Yu et al, 2021) and the vlPAG glutamatergic neurons recruited for conditioned freezing responses (Tovote et al, 2016). However, whether dmPAG Tac2 neurons are directly or indirectly involved in predatory aggression is currently unknown and will be an interesting research topic for future study.…”

The contribution of periaqueductal gray in the regulation of physiological and pathological behaviors

“…Predatory hunting is an innate and conserved behavior observed in diverse animal species, which is essential for their survival and food acquisition ( Zhao et al, 2023 ). It encompasses a series of sequential actions including prey search, pursuit, attack, and consumption ( Yu H. et al, 2021 ).…”

Accumulated experience of preying on escaping bait enhances pursuit performance in mice

“…Typically, successful preying consists of a series of sequential actions, including searching, pursuing, attacking and consuming (Comoli et al 2005;Galvin et al 2021). The neural mechanisms of attack and consumption have been extensively studied in recent years in mice, a mammalian model commonly used in laboratories (Zhao et al 2023;Park et al 2022). However, much less is known about the pursuit process, which can be both mentally and physically challenging for the hunter when facing a eeing prey (Alexander et al 2022).…”

“…(Moore and Biewener 2015;Holmgren et al 2021;Hayden et al 2011). Using food pellets or live crickets, much has been learned about the attacking and consuming phases of predation in mice, including the circuit mechanisms of several nuclei such as superior colliculus (SC), zona incerta (ZI), periaqueductal gray (PAG), the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA), the lateral hypothalamus (LH), the mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR), the reticular formation, and spinal premotor neurons(Zhao et al 2023;Park et al 2022). However, the pursuit phase, which is also critical for successful predation, is relatively poorly understood.…”