Neural basis of social dominance and affiliation in crows.

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20H01787
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 10040:Experimental psychology-related
• Research Institution: Keio University
• Principal Investigator: Izawa Ei-Ichi 慶應義塾大学, 文学部(三田), 教授 (10433731)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 茂木 一孝 麻布大学, 獣医学部, 教授 (50347308)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 情動 / カラス / 社会 / 絆形成 / 優劣関係 / 自律神経 / ホルモン / オキシトシン

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Emotion, Charles Robert Darwin focused on 150 years ago, has been found in mammals, birds, and even fish as the psychological basis for competition and cooperation of social animals. This study investigated the physiological basis of agonistic and affiliative relationships between individuals in crows, a species that has evolved complex social behavior. We found that the agonistic interactions between two individuals involved the autonomic nervous system, presumably visceral processing. We also found that the affiliative relationships entailed the vasopressin 1a receptor, suppressing the agonism between them. The present study suggests the involvement of endocrine mechanisms, mainly brain-visceral circuits, in forming social affiliation from agonism between individuals.

Free Research Field

動物心理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の成果は，哺乳類とは独立な進化を遂げた鳥類において，初対面の個体同士に生じる緊張作用にどのような身体の反応が起き、次第に構築されていく親和関係にどのようなホルモン分子が関与しているのかを明らかにした．本研究は，私たちヒトとは全く異なる体のつくりをもつ鳥類のコミュニケーションにおいて，脳だけでなく身体の反応が重要な役割をもつことを明らかにした点で意義がある．この研究は，私たちが情動や感情とよんでいる心的機能がどのような社会生態（暮らし）と脳・身体のメカニズム（仕組み）の相互作用によって進化したのかという，心の進化起源の理解へとつながる研究である．