Many of us take emergency classes at school. It is an important emergency skill that requires immediate support by unconscious individuals. This training includes assessing the situation, checking vital signs, seeking help, and even performing CPR (CF) if necessary.
While we need to teach and practice the technical aspects of first aid, our instincts to help others in the suffering are deeply ingrained in human nature. And we are not alone. A variety of animal species have also been observed where a variety of animal species tend to touch, groom, fine-tune, tweak, or leaning towards unresponsive mates. However, such anecdotal evidence was insufficient to ascertain whether the animals naturally engaged in this behavior in emergencies.
After accidentally witnessing an aid-like behavior with a mouse, scientists at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine study Publish results under controlled conditions Science. Their findings suggest that by helping mice suffer their peers, they may increase their chances of survival and strengthen social ties.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoj6cjrkzt8
Mice respond to emergency situations
Wenjian Sang, the first author of the study and a researcher at Kex School, unexpectedly observed this behavior during an unrelated experiment.
“The behavior was particularly unique because it was similar to how humans respond to emergencies. I’ve never seen this behavior from mice before,” San said. press release.
Follow-up studies have investigated this trait in detail, indicating that mice tend to help their unconscious peers. Reactions from rodent rescuers supporting anesthetized companions ranging from mild sniffing and grooming to more powerful behaviors such as mouth and tongue biting, eventually leading to pulling the tongue out of the unconscious mouse to clean the airways. (See the video.)
“Helper Mouse” showed a sense of urgency as he approached his unconscious partner. By adjusting the mouth and tongue, they helped with a faster recovery. In particular, tongue pulling behavior was not an act of aggression, as it was rarely observed when the partner was awake or simply asleep. This reinforces the idea that actions are intentional and occur particularly in perceived emergencies.
read more: How does stress affect listening? In the case of mice, they don’t even listen
Induces empathy
Researchers noted that rescue-like efforts are more frequent among familiar mice than strangers. To investigate the neural mechanisms behind this social behavior, they studied the paraventricular nucleus of helper mice, the brain involved in the production of neurotransmitters associated with stress responses and binding and empathy, which are areas of the hypothalamus.
use Optogeneticsa technique that allows scientists to manipulate neural activity using photosensitive proteins, found that activating oxytocin-responsive neurons promotes rescue behavior even among unfamiliar mice. Conversely, blocking these neurons reduced emergency-like effects among familiar pairs of mice.
These findings indicate that oxytocin signaling is essential for revival-like behavior and marks the first study to establish its role in mouse social ties.
Prosocial behavior promotes survival
According to Li Zhang, the research principal investigator and professor of physiology and neuroscience at Kex School, many factors influence the empathetic behavior and social ties of mammals. The findings of this study suggest that mutual support in high-stress situations can promote survival and strengthen social ties in animals, like humans.
In addition to promoting understanding of animal behavior, the findings highlight the important role of the oxytocin system in promoting prosocial behavior. This study could contribute to improving animal treatment and evaluation by providing a new perspective on social interactions across vertebrate species and revealing the similarities between animal behavior and our own.
read more: Do animals fall in love?
article sauce
Our Author discovermagazine.com Our articles use peer-reviewed research and high-quality sources, and editors review scientific accuracy and editing criteria. Check out the sources used below in this article.
Jenny has worked as a biomedical research assistant in labs in three countries, and is good at translating complex scientific concepts, ranging from medical breakthroughs and pharmacological discoveries to modern nutritional discoveries. Her interests range from topics such as human evolution, psychology, and eccentric animal stories. When she’s not immersed in a popular science book, you’ll find her catching or cruising waves around Vancouver Island with her longboard.
