A mice that can kill at the flip of a switch will show how their hunting behavior towards their prey. Researchers recently discovered that inside every mouse lurks a natural-born killer. They have found the brain region that controls their hunting ability, and have also figured out a way on how to switch it on and off.

According to Cell Research, the mice became aggressive predators when their two sets of neurons located in the amygdala are activated with the use of laser light. The researchers added that the part of their brain that controls emotions like fear and anxiety helps them to hunt.

Predatory behavior like biting and grabbing are familiar to nature documentaries. However, the brain circuits - how it works often remains a mystery. According to them, neurons are activated inside the brain which causes for the mice to attack inanimate objects like sticks, bottles, caps, and insect-like toys.

Ivan de Araujo, a neurobiologist at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut together with his team used a technique called optogenetics to activate the central amygdala in mice. They first infected the mice with a virus which causes for the neurons in the brain to be sensitive to blue light.

The researchers then used a tiny optic fiber to shine a blue laser on the amygdala. This technique triggered the animals to tense their jaw and neck muscles. And when the laser was on, the mice started to hunt everything around them.

According to Science News, the researchers also observed similar activity when they tried to trigger the amygdala with chemogenomics. The feeding and the hunting behavior of the mice continued even when there was nothing to hunt. And when they are put in an empty cage with their amygdala activated, they would pause, positioned their front legs as if they are holding food and move their mouths as if they are chewing.

The researchers also discovered evidence of similar hunting circuits in rats and other species whose survival once depended on their ability to hunt and kill animals.

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