A two-neuron system for adaptive goal-directed decision-making in Lymnaea

During goal-directed decision-making, animals must integrate information from the external environment and their internal state to maximize resource localization while minimizing energy expenditure. How this complex problem is solved by the nervous system, remains poorly understood. Here, using a combined behavioral and neurophysiological approach, we demonstrate that the mollusk Lymnaea performs a sophisticated form of decision-making during food-searching behavior using a core system comprised of just two neuron types. The first, a command-like cell, reports the presence of food and the second, a multifunctional interneuron, encodes motivational state, acting as a gain controller for adaptive behavior in the absence of food. Using an in vitro analog of the decision-making process, we show that the system employs an energy-management strategy, switching between a low and a high-use mode depending on the outcome of the decision. Our study reveals a parsimonious mechanism that drives a complex adaptive decision-making process. The first file contains data for behavioral experiments investigating appetitive biting behavior in <i>Lymnaea</i> in the absence of food. The second file contains data for electrophysiological experiments described in the paper. The data is organized according to the figures in the paper.

在目标导向的决策过程中，动物需要整合来自外部环境与自身内部状态的信息，以最大化资源定位效率同时最小化能量消耗。神经系统如何解决这一复杂问题，目前仍知之甚少。本研究结合行为学与神经生理学方法，证实软体动物椎实螺（Lymnaea）在觅食行为中采用仅由两类神经元构成的核心系统，实现复杂形式的决策过程。其中第一类为命令样神经元，可感知食物存在；第二类为多功能中间神经元，编码动机状态，并在无食物条件下作为适应性行为的增益控制器。通过构建决策过程的体外模拟模型，本研究发现该系统采用能量管理策略，可根据决策结果在低能耗与高能耗模式间切换。本研究揭示了驱动复杂适应性决策过程的简约机制。首个数据集文件包含无食物条件下椎实螺摄食咬食行为的相关行为学实验数据。第二个数据集文件包含论文中提及的电生理学实验数据，且数据按照论文中的图表结构进行组织。