Billie Goolsby

All Publications

• Activity of forkhead box P2-positive neurons is associated with tadpole begging behaviour. Biology letters Ludington, S. C., McKinney, J. E., Butler, J. M., Goolsby, B. C., Callan, A. A., Gaines-Richardson, M., O'Connell, L. A. 2024; 20 (9): 20240395

  Abstract

  Motor function is a critical aspect of social behaviour in a wide range of taxa. The transcription factor forkhead box P2 (FoxP2) is well studied in the context of vocal communication in humans, mice and songbirds, but its role in regulating social behaviour in other vertebrate taxa is unclear. We examined the distribution and activity of FoxP2-positive neurons in tadpoles of the mimic poison frog (Ranitomeya imitator). In this species, tadpoles are reared in isolated plant nurseries and are aggressive to other tadpoles. Mothers provide unfertilized egg meals to tadpoles that perform a begging display by vigorously vibrating back and forth. We found that FoxP2 is widely distributed in the tadpole brain and parallels the brain distribution in mammals, birds and fishes. We then tested the hypothesis that FoxP2-positive neurons would have differential activity levels in begging or aggression contexts compared to non-social controls. We found that FoxP2-positive neurons showed increased activation in the striatum and cerebellum during begging and in the nucleus accumbens during aggression. Overall, these findings lay a foundation for testing the hypothesis that FoxP2 has a generalizable role in social behaviour beyond vocal communication across terrestrial vertebrates.

  View details for DOI 10.1098/rsbl.2024.0395

  View details for PubMedID 39317327

• Physiological state matching in a pair bonded poison frog ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE Nowicki, J. P., Rodriguez, C., Lee, J. C., Goolsby, B. C., Yang, C., Cleland, T. A., O'Connell, L. A. 2024; 11 (7)

  View details for DOI 10.1098/rsos.240744

  View details for Web of Science ID 001260054800003

• Differential Neuroanatomical, Neurochemical, and Behavioral Impacts of Early-Age Isolation in a Eusocial Insect. Brain, behavior and evolution Goolsby, B. C., Smith, E. J., Muratore, I. B., Coto, Z. N., Muscedere, M. L., Traniello, J. F. 2024: 1-13

  Abstract

  Social experience early in life appears to be necessary for the development of species-typical behavior. Although isolation during critical periods of maturation has been shown to impact behavior by altering gene expression and brain development in invertebrates and vertebrates, workers of some ant species appear resilient to social deprivation and other neurobiological challenges that occur during senescence or due to loss of sensory input. It is unclear if and to what degree neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, and behavior will show deficiencies if social experience in the early adult life of worker ants is compromised.We reared newly eclosed adult workers of Camponotus floridanus under conditions of social isolation for 2-53 days, quantified brain compartment volumes, recorded biogenic amine levels in individual brains, and evaluated movement and behavioral performance to compare the neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, brood-care behavior, and foraging (predatory behavior) of isolated workers with that of workers experiencing natural social contact after adult eclosion.We found that the volume of the antennal lobe, which processes olfactory inputs, was significantly reduced in workers isolated for an average of 40 days, whereas the size of the mushroom bodies, centers of higher-order sensory processing, increased after eclosion and was not significantly different from controls. Titers of the neuromodulators serotonin, dopamine, and octopamine remained stable and were not significantly different in isolation treatments and controls. Brood care, predation, and overall movement were reduced in workers lacking social contact early in life.These results suggest that the behavioral development of isolated workers of C. floridanus is specifically impacted by a reduction in the size of the antennal lobe. Task performance and locomotor ability therefore appear to be sensitive to a loss of social contact through a reduction of olfactory processing ability rather than change in the size of the mushroom bodies, which serve important functions in learning and memory, or the central complex, which controls movement.

  View details for DOI 10.1159/000539546

  View details for PubMedID 38857586

• Activity of FoxP2-positive neurons correlates with begging behavior in a social tadpole. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology Ludington, S. C., McKinney, J. E., Butler, J. M., O'Connell, L. A. 2023

  Abstract

  Motor function is a critical aspect of communication in a wide range of taxa. The transcription factor FoxP2 plays an important role in coordinating the development of motor areas related to vocal communication in humans, mice, and songbirds. However, the role of FoxP2 in regulating motor coordination of non-vocal communication behaviors in other vertebrate taxa is unclear. Here, we test the hypothesis that FoxP2 is associated with begging behavior in tadpoles of the Mimetic poison frog ( Ranitomeya imitator ). In this species, mothers provide unfertilized egg meals to tadpoles that perform a begging display to communicate hunger by vigorously dancing back and forth. We mapped the neural distribution of FoxP2-positive neurons in the tadpole brain, where its wide distribution paralleled that of mammals, birds, and fishes. We next evaluated the activity of FoxP2-positive neurons during tadpole begging and found that FoxP2-positive neurons showed increased activation in the striatum, preoptic area and cerebellum. Overall, this work suggests a generalizable function of FoxP2 in social communication across terrestrial vertebrates.

  View details for DOI 10.1101/2023.05.26.542531

  View details for PubMedID 37292748

• Home security cameras as a tool for behavior observations and science equity. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology Goolsby, B. C., Fischer, M., Pareja-Mejia, D., Lewis, A. R., Raboisson, G., Oa Connell, L. A. 2023

  Abstract

  Reliably capturing transient animal behavior in the field and laboratory remains a logistical and financial challenge, especially for small ectotherms. Here, we present a camera system that is affordable, accessible, and suitable to monitor small, cold-blooded animals historically overlooked by commercial camera traps, such as small amphibians. The system is weather-resistant, can operate offline or online, and allows collection of time-sensitive behavioral data in laboratory and field conditions with continuous data storage for up to four weeks. The lightweight camera can also utilize phone notifications over Wi-Fi so that observers can be alerted when animals enter a space of interest, enabling sample collection at proper time periods. We present our findings, both technological and scientific, in an effort to elevate tools that enable researchers to maximize use of their research budgets. We discuss the relative affordability of our system for researchers in South America, which is home to the largest population of ectotherm diversity.

  View details for DOI 10.1101/2023.04.17.537238

  View details for PubMedID 37131676

• Feed Me: Robotic Infiltration of Poison Frog Families Living Machines: Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems Chen, T. G., Goolsby, B. C., Bernal, G., O'Connell, L. A., Cutkosky, M. 2023: 293-302

  View details for DOI 10.1007/978-3-031-39504-8_20

• Evidence for Empathy in Pair Bonding Poison Frogs bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology Nowicki, J. P., Rodriguez, C., Lee, J. C., Goolsby, B. C., Yang, C., Cleland, T. A., O'Connell, L. A. 2022

  View details for DOI 10.1101/2022.09.25.509360