Neural Basis of Number Sense in Larval Zebrafish.

ABSTRACT: Number sense, the ability to discriminate the quantity of objects, is crucial for survival. To understand how neurons work together and develop to mediate number sense, we used two-photon fluorescence light sheet microscopy to capture the activity of individual neurons throughout the brain of larval Danio rerio, while displaying a visual number stimulus to the animal. We identified number-selective neurons as early as 3 days post-fertilization and found a proportional increase of neurons tuned to larger quantities after 3 days. We used machine learning to predict the stimulus from the neuronal activity and observed that the prediction accuracy improves with age. We further tested ethanol's effect on number sense and found a decrease in number-selective neurons in the forebrain, sugg

SUBMITTER: Luu P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11406567 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature