| Title: | Diverse sensory cues for individual recognition |
| Author(s): | Chung M; Wang MY; Huang Z; Okuyama T; |
| Address: | "Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (IQB), The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. JST, PRESTO, Tokyo, Japan" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1440-169X (Electronic) 0012-1592 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "To be social, the ability to recognize and discriminate conspecific individuals is indispensable in social animals, including primates, rodents, birds, fish, and social insects which live in societies or groups. Recent studies using molecular biology, genetics, in vivo and in vitro physiology, and behavioral neuroscientific approaches have provided detailed insights into how animals process and recognize the information of individuals. Here, we review the most distinct sensory modalities for individual recognition in animals, namely, olfaction and vision. In the case of rodents, two polymorphic gene complexes have been identified in their urine as the key and essential pheromonal components for individual recognition: the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and the major urinary protein (MUP). Animals flexibly utilize MHC and/or MUP, which are detected by the main olfactory epithelium (MOE) and/or the vomeronasal organ (VNO) for various types of social recognition, such as strain recognition, kin recognition, and individual recognition. In contrast, primates, including humans, primarily use facial appearance to identify others. Face recognition in humans and other animals is naturally unique from genetic, cognitive, developmental, and functional points of view. Importantly note that nurture effects during growth phase such as social experience and environment can also shape and tune this special cognitive ability, in order to distinguish subtle differences between individuals. In this review, we address such unique nature and nurture mechanisms for individual recognition" |
| Keywords: | "Animals Major Histocompatibility Complex Proteins/metabolism *Smell *Vision, Ocular Vomeronasal Organ/metabolism face recognition individual recognition major urinary protein perceptual narrowing social memory;neuroscience;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineChung, Myung Wang, Mu-Yun Huang, Ziyan Okuyama, Teruhiro eng JPMJPR1781/JST, PRESTO/ 18H02544/JSPS KAKENHI/ Grant-in-Aid for a Japan Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS)/ Takeda Science Foundation/ The Uehara Memorial Foundation/ The NOVARTIS Foundation (Japan) for the Promotion of Science/ Daiichi Sankyo Foundation of Life Science/ The Mochida Memorial Foundation for Medical and Pharmaceutical Research/ Review Japan 2020/10/29 Dev Growth Differ. 2020 Dec; 62(9):507-515. doi: 10.1111/dgd.12697. Epub 2020 Nov 20" |
