NICE_Lab is pleased to present another NICE_Talks session, which will take place on April 11 at 2:30 p.m. in Room 411 (Floor 4 of the Library Building) and Online.
This session will be dedicated to the area of Evolution, Behavioral Neuroscience, Cognition and Social Cognition.
Prof. Susana Varela will present a paper entitled “The evolution of sociality and social cognition”
Line of research: Evolution, Behavioral Neuroscience, Cognition and Social Cognition
Theme: The evolution of sociality and social cognition
Lecturer: Prof. Susana Varela (CIIS - FCSE/UCP)
The social brain and social intelligence hypotheses (SBIH) posit that group living generates the selective forces that have driven the evolution of enhanced general cognitive abilities and brain size, both in humans and other animals. These hypotheses have generated a significant debate and the available evidence supporting them is still scarce. Experimental approaches that explicitly test their assumptions and predictions are necessary. We have been doing this with zebrafish (Danio rerio), a species that has become an established vertebrate model in behavioural neuroscience, and in fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster), the model species with the most extensive genetic tools to study the nervous system. With zebrafish, we conducted an artificial selection experiment for sociality in which individuals were phenotyped, over six generations, for their preference to associate with conspecifics relative to a non-social stimulus. We established four selection lines by crossing fish with the highest, lowest, equal, and random preference for the social stimulus. With fruit flies, we studied the social and asocial learning performances of a set of homozygous sequenced lines derived from the same wildtype population. In both cases, our results support the SBIH but suggest the evolution of a special rather than a general-purpose cognitive mechanism for sociability.
NICE_Talks are a space dedicated to our members, doctoral and master's students that promotes the sharing of ideas and knowledge. These meetings bring together guests specialized in various areas of research aligned with the interests of the laboratory, promoting enriching discussions and new opportunities for collaboration.
