Preserved neural dynamics across animals performing similar behaviour.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Evolutionary Biology
• Computational Neuroscience

Background:

• Species-specific behaviors are adaptations shaped by evolution.
• The neural basis for these shared behaviors across individuals remains unclear.
• Neural circuit organization is conserved due to evolutionary developmental programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how conserved neural circuit organization leads to preserved neural dynamics across individuals.
• To determine if shared circuit-level constraints result in similar latent dynamics within a species.
• To explore the neural basis of conserved behaviors.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of neural population recordings from monkey and mouse motor cortex.
• Examination of neural dynamics during overt behavior and during movement planning.
• Utilized neural network models to assess the necessity and sufficiency of behavioral similarity.

Main Results:

• Neural population dynamics are surprisingly preserved across individuals of the same species performing similar behaviors.
• Preserved dynamics were observed during both movement execution and planning.
• These conserved dynamics extend to the dorsal striatum and allow for cross-individual decoding of movement.
• Behavioral similarity is necessary but not sufficient for dynamic preservation.

Conclusions:

• Shared evolutionary constraints on brain development lead to preserved neural dynamics across individuals.
• These emergent dynamics reflect fundamental properties of the neural basis of behavior.
• Conserved neural dynamics provide a framework for understanding species-specific adaptations.