The nervous system of social species has evolved to perceive and evaluate signals within a social context. Social information therefore must impact how the brain processes information, yet little is still known about how the brain integrates social information to produce actions in a social context. This lack of knowledge exists in part because social context is difficult to quantify and because most studies are performed in species that do not have a particularly rich social structure. Here Marc Schmidt will discuss ongoing work with the brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater), a highly gregarious songbird species whose social behavior has been well studied and where vocal and non-vocal communication signals form a central and critical component of its social system.

Marc's team has created a “smart aviary” equipped with an array of cameras, microphones, and other sensors with the aim to generate a fully automated pipeline to evaluate moment-to-moment behavioral interactions in a group of birds over the entire breeding season using machine learning approaches that track each bird’s position, orientation, pose, and shape directly from images. Supplied with their rich dataset, they aim to develop mathematical tools necessary to generate social network models that will allow us to quantify the specific state of the bird social network associated with neural activation patterns associated with individual behavioral events. To evaluate brain dynamics, they are developing a miniature non-invasive wirelessly powered and transmitting recording device optimized for long duration recording that critically does not impact bird individual or social behavior.

In Marc's talk, he will use our proposed work to track social behavior, and its neural correlates, in our “smart aviary” to highlight the new emerging field of “neuroscience in a naturalistic context”, highlighting both the possibilities and challenges that this new direction presents.

Learning Objectives:

1. Review changing opportunities and challenges in the study of the neural bases of behavior.

2. Recognize advantages and disadvantages of using birds as a model system for studying the neural bases of complex behavior within a social context.

3. Demonstrate knowledge of the different technical elements and expertise required for studying brain function in a naturalistic context.