Cross-species neuroscience: closing the explanatory gap

Barron, H. C., Mars, R. B., Dupret, D., Lerch, J. and Sampaio-Baptista, C. (2021) Cross-species neuroscience: closing the explanatory gap. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 376, 20190633. (doi: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0633) (PMID:33190601) (PMCID:PMC7116399)

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Abstract

Neuroscience has seen substantial development in non-invasive methods available for investigating the living human brain. However, these tools are limited to coarse macroscopic measures of neural activity that aggregate the diverse responses of thousands of cells. To access neural activity at the cellular and circuit level, researchers instead rely on invasive recordings in animals. Recent advances in invasive methods now permit large-scale recording and circuit level manipulations with exquisite spatiotemporal precision. Yet, there has been limited progress in relating these microcircuit measures to complex cognition and behaviour observed in humans. Contemporary neuroscience thus faces an explanatory gap between macroscopic descriptions of the human brain and microscopic descriptions in animal models. To close the explanatory gap, we propose adopting a cross-species approach. Despite dramatic differences in the size of mammalian brains this approach is broadly justified by preserved homology. Here, we outline a three-armed approach for effective cross-species investigation that highlights the need to translate different measures of neural activity into a common space. We discuss how a cross-species approach has the potential to transform basic neuroscience while also benefiting neuropsychiatric drug development where clinical translation has, to date, seen minimal success.

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:H.C.B. is supported by the Wellcome Institutional Strategic Support Fund (Grant 0007094) and the Medical Research Council (MRC) UK (MC_UU_12024/3 and MC_UU_00003/4). D.D. is supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council UK (BBSRC UK award BB/N0059TX/1) and the MRC (Programme MC_UU_12024/3 and MC_UU_00003/4). R.B.M. is supported by a David Phillips Fellowship of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) UK [BB/N019814/1]. The Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging is supported by core funding from the Wellcome Trust (203139/Z/16/Z).
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Sampaio Baptista, Dr Cassandra
Authors: Barron, H. C., Mars, R. B., Dupret, D., Lerch, J., and Sampaio-Baptista, C.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Psychology & Neuroscience
Journal Name:Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Publisher:The Royal Society
ISSN:0962-8436
ISSN (Online):1471-2970
Published Online:16 November 2020
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2020 The Authors
First Published:First published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 376:20190633
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons license

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