Mouse-to-Mouse Resuscitation: Mice Exhibit Life-Saving Behaviors

In a groundbreaking study, researchers have observed that mice instinctively perform life-saving actions on their unconscious peers, behaviors strikingly similar to human first aid protocols.

In controlled experiments, Li Zhang and his team at the University of Southern California anesthetized mice to render them temporarily unconscious and introduced them to their conscious counterparts. The reactions of the conscious mice were remarkable: they began with sniffing, progressed to grooming, and escalated to more intensive interactions, such as opening the mouth of the unconscious mouse and pulling out its tongue. This tongue-pulling behavior effectively cleared the airway, facilitating quicker recovery. When a small plastic ball was placed in the mouth of the unconscious mouse, the helper successfully removed the obstruction 80% of the time before continuing its life-saving routine.

Neuroscientist Huizhong Tao, also from the University of Southern California and a co-author of the study, remarked, “If we extended the observation window, maybe the success rate could be even higher.” She added that this routine is believed to be instinctual rather than learned, as the mice had not previously encountered an unconscious peer.

Further experiments indicated that this behavior is driven by oxytocin-releasing neurons in the amygdala and hypothalamus, areas of the brain responsible for emotional responses and caregiving behaviors. This hormonal release underscores the deep-seated nature of these caregiving behaviors.

The findings are further supported by research from multiple independent teams. Similar first-aid-like behavior has been documented in laboratory mice in a separate study, while another team reported comparable observations last month. Cristina Márquez from the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology in Coimbra, Portugal, commented on the significance of these results: “I have never observed these types of behaviours when we run experiments in the lab, but we never placed a recovering animal with a partner until they were fully awake. The fact that three independent laboratories have observed similar behaviours indicates that this is a robust finding.” However, she cautioned against interpreting the behavior too anthropomorphically, reminding researchers to avoid attributing human-like intentions beyond what is directly observed.

For further reading, the supporting studies can be found at:

• A neural basis for prosocial behavior toward unresponsive individuals
• Rescue-like behavior in a bystander mouse toward anesthetized conspecifics promotes arousal via a tongue-brain connection
• Reviving-like prosocial behavior in response to unconscious or dead conspecifics in rodents

This discovery not only challenges our understanding of rodent behavior but also sheds light on the evolutionary roots of empathy and social bonding in mammals.