Hard Wiring of Animal Behaviors

[bcl]

TL;DR Summary

If a behavior is "hard wired" what is wired to what, and what is the wire?

I often hear that a certain behavior of an animal is "hard wired". I get the analogy, but what does that really mean in the brain? What two things are "wired" together and what is the actual "wire"? If a dog runs after a squirrel (dogs are of course "hard wired" to chase squirrels), are his eyes somehow connected to neurons that activate his legs?

 

[hutchphd]

The "wire" is the neuron (cell ) and mostly the "axon" part of that cell. It connects to other cells be they other neurons or muscles or sensors. The actual connection is made by releasing neurotransmitter chemicals. But the geometry is largely fixed
Some things are really hardwired outside the brain because they are too slow otherwise. Reflex loops are the most common.
The one that fascinates me (because mine ****ed up for a while) is responsible for counterrotating your eyeballs when you rotate your head...far too fast for your brain to do and still be able to see well. Automatic! (when it works)
And learning somehow involves creating at least a proclivity for certain pathways in the brain..
This subject is appropriate for a lifetime of study...or at least a good primer on neurophysiology. Maybe somebody has recommendations?

 

[pinball1970]

Summary: If a behavior is "hard wired" what is wired to what, and what is the wire?

I often hear that a certain behavior of an animal is "hard wired". I get the analogy, but what does that really mean in the brain? What two things are "wired" together and what is the actual "wire"? If a dog runs after a squirrel (dogs are of course "hard wired" to chase squirrels), are his eyes somehow connected to neurons that activate his legs?

I think this is a multilayered answer.
Our genes build our brains just as they give us hair and eye colour, we get our genes from our parents and this is fixed. The neurons are wired from the start.
However there are crucial early years of development learning and experience that tune that wiring. Speech memory and intelligence can be stunted or stimulated during those first few years that are difficult to back track on. Up to about 7 years.
https://www.firstthingsfirst.org/early-childhood-matters/brain-development/What then? Further development, memory, learning, sexuality and experience and where biology starts to merge with sociobiology. Not my bag.
So hard wiring? When does it end? Right handedness sexuality are examples but I suspect there is a whole spectrum from definitely hard wired to completely malleable.
Also the brain can 're-wire' after a severe head injury, where neurons have been irreparably damaged.

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.co...ries-regeneration-lobatz-2015apr02-story.html

 

[BillTre]

The term hardwired is often used to distinguish behaviors of their underlying nervous system connections from those that can be modified by use or learning. Its not always a clear cut distinction.

Development (as programmed by genetics) determines the structure and function of a lot of the brain structure and functioning. Once established, these often do not change much after being set-up and would nromally be called hardwired.

However, there are a series of ungoing cellular processes (like those underlying learning) that can be quite similar to the original generative developmental processes. They can make relatively subtle, but functionally important changes in the nervous system, thus underlying some non-hardwired behavioral adaptations.

The actual wiring would refer to the ways underlying nervous system components interact to generate the behavior in question. This would include the anatomy of the neurons and their interconnections as well as details of their cellular physiology that would affect their function (such as transmitters, receptors, second messanger systems, details of synapse structure/function, ...).