Abstract:

As the only mammals capable of powered flight, coupled with their remarkable echolocation ability, bats occupy a unique niche in the night sky and represent one of the most diverse mammalian lineages. Electrophysiological methods, primarily involving the recording of neural activity, significantly advanced our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying bat echolocation. This review details the advantages and disadvantages of three primary electrophysiological recording paradigms: recordings under anesthesia, head-fixed recordings, and recordings during free movement. Recordings under anesthesia are useful for studying the functions of neurons in specific brain regions, but anesthetic drugs may interfere with neural activity. Head-fixed recordings can capture neural activity in awake animals but typically restrict their behavioral range. Recordings during free movement are the recommended electrophysiological paradigm, as they most closely match the animals’ natural behaviors. Recently, the application of new technologies such as optogenetics, chemogenetics, and two-photon calcium imaging have opened new avenues for studying the neural mechanisms of bat echolocation. Future research may combine multiple electrophysiological methods with these emerging technologies to better reveal the neural basis of bat echolocation.

Key words: Bat echolocation, Recording paradigms, Anesthesia, Head-fixed, Free moving

摘要：

蝙蝠作为唯一具有动力飞行能力的哺乳动物，通过回声定位和飞行行为的相互协同，占据了重要的夜空生态位，成为了生态分布最丰富的哺乳动物之一。多年来，基于电生理技术的神经机理研究，揭示了蝙蝠回声定位能力潜在的神经基础。本文以蝙蝠电生理研究的不同行为范式为主线，首先比较了不同行为范式下神经电生理研究的优缺点：(1) 麻醉状态：适用于特定脑区神经元功能的解析，但受限于麻醉药物对神经活动的干扰；(2) 头部固定清醒状态：能在清醒状态下快速高效记录高信噪比的神经信号，但蝙蝠的行为自由受限；(3) 自由活动状态：结合电极植入手段，能最真实地反映自由行为中的神经活动，但技术存在挑战。此外，本文系统地梳理了3种主要行为范式下取得的关键研究发现，其中发声蝙蝠神经元活动的记录揭示了回声定位高度依赖听觉通路和发声控制通路的协调整合。近年来，光遗传、化学遗传和双光子钙成像等新技术的应用，开拓了蝙蝠回声定位神经机制研究的新思路；未来的研究需要结合新兴技术，更全面系统地揭示蝙蝠回声定位的神经基础。

关键词: 蝙蝠回声定位, 电生理研究范式, 麻醉状态, 头部固定状态, 自由活动状态