**Author(s):** Theofanopoulou, C.<br><br> It has been long thought that the kind of social interaction modern humans display should have been a key feature in the evolution of language (Tomasello et al., 2003). At the same time, our increased prosociality has independently been hypothesized to be very similar to the one we witness in domesticated species (e.g., Thomas, 2014). In this talk, I will connect the dots between several studies I have run in the past years around the topic of human self-domestication and its relevance to speech evolution. I will present genomic evidence suggesting that modern humans provide a good case for self-domestication, based on the significant convergence in signs of positive selection found in the genomes of domesticated species and modern humans (Theofanopoulou et al. 2017). I will show evidence supporting that the oxytocin-vasotocin system is a good candidate for the neurobiology underlying the vocal complexity differences we observe in domesticated vs. wild avian species (Tobari, Theofanopoulou et al. 2021), and propose how these findings can shed light on the evolution of human speech. Lastly, I will present modern human specific alleles we identified in the oxytocin and vasotocin receptors, when compared to archaic humans and non-human primates (Theofanopoulou et al. 2022) and will explain how these sites could have impacted the evolution of human prosociality via self-domestication.

Human self-domestication and speech evolution through the lens of the oxytocin and vasotocin gene family

Basic science in hepatic encephalopathy

Spatial and Single Cell Technologies for Next Generation Neuropathology

Major psychiatric diseases (MPDs), including schizophrenia, are diagnosed very late, due to the lack of effective biomarkers. Post-mortem analyzes show that the lipid composition of neuronal membranes differs in people with schizophrenia. This difference is also reflected in several types of cells, including red blood cells (RBCs). RBCs are known to exhibit spectacular biomechanical properties (BPs) resulting in unique deformability capacity and spontaneous membrane vibrations at the nanoscale . It has been reported that the lipid composition of the RBC membranes affects these BPs. An accurate biomechanical characterization of RBCs could thus reveal MPD-related phenotypes. Quantitative Phase Digital Holography Microscopy (QP-DHM), providing images with a nonmetric axial sensitivity, represents a highly relevant technique to quantitatively study the RBC biomechanics. As a first step to identify MPD-related RBC phenotypes, we have started to develop a methodology based on QP-DHM to characterize RBC biomechanics. Studies are conducted in different conditions known to specifically impact RBC BPs. Concretely membrane vibrations and RBC deformations are monitored in environments controlled for temperature, ph, O2 and CO2 partial pressures. We are also going to start a biomechanical study of RBCs obtained from mice, having benefited from a strict diet allowing a control of their membrane lipid composition. Then, aiming at identifying MPD-related RBC phenotypes, we will apply this methodology on our clinical data set, composed or RBC samples collected from patients suffering for MPDs.

Exploration of the red blood cell biomechanics with digital holographic microscopy: Towards a methodology to identify cellular phenotypes related to major psychiatric disorders

Over recent years there has been a great surge in interest, knowledge, and technology surrounding genetics and genetic services. As a result, genetic counseling has become a rapidly growing field of medicine. In 1988, Harris’s pioneering manuscript “Genetic Counselling and the New Genetics” envisioned the future of genetic counseling as one “confirming clinical diagnoses, recognizing genetic heterogeneity, assessing risk, and providing a link between laboratories, physicians, and patients.” Today, genetic testing is a powerful tool that can be used to help direct precision medicine. Diseases and disorders that are caused by abnormalities in an individual's genome are currently classified into four categories: single-gene, multifactorial, chromosomal, and mitochondrial. This state-of-the-art review focuses on how diseases and disorders caused by genomic abnormalities are linked to neurobiological differences. Further, the review aims to provide insights into how to link laboratories, physicians, and patients to bridge the gap between genetics and neurobiology.

Genes, Brains, and Behavior: Genetic counselors’ role in precision medicine

Evidence suggests that microglia, the immune cells of the brain, have an important role in the development of brain circuits. As a result, activation of the immune system early in life significantly increases the risk of various neurodevelopmental disorders, including Autism Spectrum Disorder. Perinatal exposure to infectious pathogens is suggested to be an environmental risk factor that has a role in activating the developing immune system, and the subsequent onset of neurodevelopmental diseases. Furthermore, the “two-hit hypothesis of immune activation” suggests that multiple exposures to immune activation further increases the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders. Immune activation during a “sensitive period” of neurodevelopment may result in an exaggerated response to subsequent immune challenges and the onset of behavioral disorders during the juvenile period. Additionally, microglia number and activation profiles differ between males and females during early development. Thus, males might be more susceptible to the consequences of immune activation as a result of the two-hit model. In order to better understand the two-hit model of neuroinflammation and its effect on the expression of social behaviors in males and females, we tested the impact of neonatal bacterial infection (E.coli) and a subsequent juvenile immune challenge (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) on two tests of rodent social behavior - social interaction and social recognition. The results from hand-scoring the time spent interacting in each test revealed that female control animals were not performing the test above chance. Therefore, we were interested in measuring the overall locomotive activity of test rats. Using an open-source ImageJ plugin, MouBeAt, locomotive behavior parameters were examined. Preliminary analysis of the data thus far indicates that the timing (neonatal or juvenile) and nature (E.coli or lipopolysaccharide) of the neuroimmune activation have a different effect on the expression of locomotive activity in male and female juvenile rats during a social behavior test.

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Human self-domestication and speech evolution through the lens of the oxytocin and vasotocin gene family

Basic science in hepatic encephalopathy

Spatial and Single Cell Technologies for Next Generation Neuropathology

Exploration of the red blood cell biomechanics with digital holographic microscopy: Towards a methodology to identify cellular phenotypes related to major psychiatric disorders

Genes, Brains, and Behavior: Genetic counselors’ role in precision medicine

Locomotive activity and sociability in male and female juvenile rats following mild immune activation

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