Collective action, while crucial for group survival, often faces the challenge of free-riders who reap benefits without contributing. Understanding individual differences in the propensity for cooperation remains a key puzzle in evolutionary biology and neuroscience. Here, we explore the neural basis of cooperative behavior in a novel group foraging task for mice. Our task takes place in a colosseum-like cage, where mice cohabitate with a snack-bearing robot spider in the center. Retrieving the snack requires venturing into the spider's zone, potentially risky but rewarding for the entire group. By recording brain activity in key regions associated with executive function (prefrontal cortex), reward processing (nucleus accumbens), and fear (basolateral amygdala), we aim to unravel the neural correlates of individual roles within this collective behavior. Specifically, we focus on how the propensity for food retrieval, a defining characteristic of "worker" mice, evolves over time. This longitudinal approach allows us to investigate the neural dynamics underlying the transition from hesitant exploration to dedicated foraging behavior. Our findings will shed light on the brain mechanisms driving cooperative decision-making in a social context. This research holds significant implications for understanding the evolution of cooperation and its potential modulation in the face of individual differences.

첨부: 뇌과학세미나 포스터(2024-1)