Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 20, 2026
09:43
A Fully Automated Rodent Conditioning Protocol for Sensorimotor Integration and Cognitive Control Experiments
Published on: April 15, 2014
11.1K
Neural Circuitry for Target Selection and Action Selection in Animal Behavior
Kim L Hoke1, Eileen A Hebets2, Daizaburo Shizuka2
1Department of Biology, Colorado State University, 1878 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1878, USA.
Integrative and Comparative Biology
|October 20, 2017
Summary
Neurobiology advances clarify animal behavior by detailing neural circuits for target and action selection. Understanding these circuits helps explain complex, context-dependent behaviors and their evolution.
Area of Science:
- Neuroethology
- Comparative Neurobiology
- Behavioral Neuroscience
Background:
- Animal behaviorists seek to understand the proximate and ultimate causes of complex behaviors.
- Recent neurobiological advances offer new perspectives on behavior-oriented studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review neural circuit mechanisms underlying target and action selection in animals.
- To illustrate how neurobiology can enhance the understanding of complex behaviors and their evolutionary basis.
Main Methods:
- Overview of current views on neural circuit mechanisms for target and action selection.
- Discussion of spatial and temporal aspects influencing neurophysiological responses.
- Case studies on spatial attention (vertebrate midbrain) and goal-directed locomotion (insect central complex).
Main Results:
- Target selection involves stimulus competition in sensory-motor processing.
- Action selection balances animal needs with environmental opportunities/threats.
- Neural circuit dynamics are crucial for context-dependent behavioral responses.
Conclusions:
- Deeper understanding of neural circuits can generate new hypotheses for behavioral studies.
- Neurobiology aids in understanding the evolution of complex displays influenced by receiver sensory biases.
- Neural circuit properties explain how context and experience shape behavior.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Neural Circuits
2.9K
Neural circuits and neuronal pools are two of the main structures found in the nervous system. Neural circuits are networks of neurons that work together to carry out a specific task or process. They consist of interconnected neurons and glial cells, which provide structural and metabolic support.
Neuronal pools are collections of nerve cells with similar functions and interact through chemical and electrical signals. These pools include both interneurons (the central neural circuit nodes that...
Neuronal pools are collections of nerve cells with similar functions and interact through chemical and electrical signals. These pools include both interneurons (the central neural circuit nodes that...
2.9K
01:14Action Potential
11.5K
Neurons communicate by firing action potentials—the electrochemical signal that is propagated along the axon. The signal results in the release of neurotransmitters at axon terminals, thereby transmitting information to the nervous system. An action potential is a specific "all-or-none" change in membrane potential that results in a rapid spike in voltage.
Membrane potential in neurons
Neurons typically have a resting membrane potential of about -70 millivolts (mV). When they receive...
Membrane potential in neurons
Neurons typically have a resting membrane potential of about -70 millivolts (mV). When they receive...
11.5K
00:54What is Behavior?
10.3K
Behaviors are actions that an organism engages in—they can be related to finding food, reproducing, defending against threats, and many other possible actions. Behaviors include activities related to the environment around the animal—such as migration—as well as social interactions within a species or population. Many behaviors involve motor output—that is, muscle movements—while others involve less visible actions, such as learning.
10.3K
01:19The Role of Ion Channels in Neuronal Computation
4.0K
A postsynaptic neuron usually receives numerous impulses from several other presynaptic neurons. The axon hillock of the postsynaptic neuron integrates all these signals and determines the likelihood of firing an action potential.
Sometimes a single EPSP is strong enough to induce an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron. However, multiple presynaptic inputs must often create EPSPs around the same time for the postsynaptic neuron to be sufficiently depolarized to fire an action potential....
Sometimes a single EPSP is strong enough to induce an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron. However, multiple presynaptic inputs must often create EPSPs around the same time for the postsynaptic neuron to be sufficiently depolarized to fire an action potential....
4.0K