One of the first things you learn in a first aid class is the importance of clearing the airway of an individual who is choking, or removing a visible obstruction from an unconscious person before performing CPR. But did you know that humans aren’t the only ones to undertake these lifesaving measures?
Other animals, like chimpanzees and dolphins, have been observed assisting other members of their species in various ways. However, it appears that laboratory mice also play an active role in helping incapacitated companions.
In a study published last month in the journal Science, researchers at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine found the mice utilize a variety of “prosocial” behaviors in an attempt to save other mice that are unconscious or have an obstructed airway. In the study, the mice engaged in series of familiar actions that resemble the resuscitation efforts of humans performing first aid.
When encountering mice that had been put under anesthesia, rendering them unconscious, their fellow rodents started by approaching the unresponsive individual before moving on to sniffing and grooming. If it still didn’t respond, the “helper” mouse got more involved. They were frequently observed biting the unconscious mouse’s mouth and pulling on its tongue, seemingly to clear their airway. The researchers also noted that when the unconscious mouse had a small ball in its mouth, the helper mouse was usually able to extract it.
Mouse-to-mouse resuscitation:
- Interestingly, the mice were significantly more likely to attempt to resuscitate a familiar mouse than an unfamiliar one.
- The researchers believe that the behaviors are innate, as even young mice with no previous exposure to unconscious animals attempted similar actions.
- Another interesting finding of the study was the activation of oxytocin (sometimes known as “the love hormone") in the neural systems of helper mice, perhaps indicating that oxytocin plays a role in their behavior and social bonding.
