Helping-Like Behaviour in Mice Towards Conspecifics Constrained Inside Tubes.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Ethology
• Animal Behavior

Background:

• Prosocial behaviors, such as helping, benefit recipients.
• Helping-like behavior has been observed in rats, but its specific motivations remain unclear.
• Mice, as highly social animals extensively used in neuroscience research, provide a promising model for studying prosociality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the presence of helping-like behavior in mice.
• To clarify the motivations behind this behavior, differentiating between rescue, social contact, or other goals.
• To establish a mouse model for studying the psychological and biological mechanisms of prosocial behavior.

Main Methods:

• Subject mice were placed in cages with tubes containing either cagemates or stranger mice.
• The ability of subject mice to open these tubes and release the conspecifics was observed.
• Behavioral responses were assessed under various conditions, including aversive stimuli and with anesthetized conspecifics, and in the presence of food rewards.

Main Results:

• Mice successfully released both familiar and unfamiliar conspecifics from tubes.
• Mice did not open empty tubes, indicating the behavior is directed towards conspecifics.
• The helping-like behavior persisted under aversive conditions and with anesthetized individuals.
• Hungry mice prioritized accessing food over releasing trapped companions, suggesting a role for motivation and competing needs.
• Mice showed no preference between helping constrained or freely moving conspecifics.

Conclusions:

• Mice demonstrate tube-opening behavior, a form of helping-like action.
• This behavior is motivated by the presence of conspecifics, though not exclusively for rescue.
• The study establishes a valuable mouse model for investigating the neurobiological underpinnings of prosocial behavior.