scholarly journals Selective and context-dependent social and behavioral effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol in weakly electric fish

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon Neeley ◽  
Tyler Overholt ◽  
Emily Artz ◽  
Steven G Kinsey ◽  
Gary Marsat
Keyword(s):  
Electric Fish ◽  
Behavioral Effects ◽  
Weakly Electric Fish ◽  
Control Fish ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Communication Signals ◽  
Neurophysiological Studies ◽  
Context Dependent ◽  
Weakly Electric

AbstractCannabinoid (CB) receptors are widespread in the nervous system and influence a variety of behaviors. Weakly electric fish has been a useful model system in the study of the neural basis of behavior but we know nothing of the role played by the CB system. Here, we determine the overall behavioral effect of a CB receptor agonist (i.e., Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, THC) in the weakly electric fish A. leptorhynchus. Using various behavioral paradigms involving social stimuli, we show that THC decreases locomotor behavior as in many species and influences the communication and social behavior. Across the different experiments we found that the propensity to emit communication signals (chirps) and to seek social interactions was affected in a context-dependent manner. We explicitly tested this hypothesis by comparing the behavioral effects of THC injection in fish placed in a novel versus familiar social and physical environments. THC-injected fish were less likely to chirp than control in familiar situation but not in novel ones. The tendency to be in close proximity was affected only in novel environments whith control fish clustering more than THC-injected ones. By identifying behaviors affected by CB agonists, our study can guide further comparative and neurophysiological studies of the role of the CB system using weakly electric fish as a model.

scholarly journals Selective and Context-Dependent Social and Behavioral Effects of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol in Weakly Electric Fish

2018 ◽  
Vol 91 (4) ◽  
pp. 214-227
Author(s):  
Brandon Neeley ◽  
Tyler Overholt ◽  
Emily Artz ◽  
Steven G. Kinsey ◽  
Gary Marsat
Keyword(s):  
Electric Fish ◽  
Behavioral Effects ◽  
Weakly Electric Fish ◽  
Control Fish ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Communication Signals ◽  
Neurophysiological Studies ◽  
Context Dependent ◽  
Weakly Electric

Cannabinoid (CB) receptors are widespread in the nervous system and influence a variety of behaviors. Weakly electric fish have been a useful model system in the study of the neural basis of behavior, but we know nothing of the role played by the CB system. Here, we determine the overall behavioral effect of a nonselective CB receptor agonist, namely Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), in the weakly electric fish Apte­ronotus leptorhynchus. Using various behavioral paradigms involving social stimuli, we show that THC decreases locomotor behavior, as in many species, and influences communication and social behavior. Across the different experiments, we found that the propensity to emit communication signals (chirps) and seek social interactions was affected in a context-dependent manner. We explicitly tested this hypothesis by comparing the behavioral effects of THC injection in fish placed in a novel versus a familiar social and physical environment. THC-injected fish were less likely to chirp than control fish in familiar situations but not in novel ones. The tendency to be in close proximity to other fish was affected only in novel environments, with control fish clustering more than THC-injected ones. By identifying behaviors affected by CB agonists, our study can guide further comparative and neurophysiological studies of the role of the CB system using a weakly electric fish as a model.

scholarly journals Neural processing of communication signals: The extent of sender-receiver matching varies across species of Apteronotus

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.M. Allen ◽  
G. Marsat
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Related Species ◽  
Electric Fish ◽  
Weakly Electric Fish ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Communication Signals ◽  
Coding Strategies ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Weakly Electric

ABSTRACTAs communication signal properties change, through genetic drift or selective pressure, the sensory systems that receive these signals must also adapt to maintain sensitivity and adaptability in an array of contexts. Shedding light on this process helps us understand how sensory codes are tailored to specific tasks. In a species of weakly electric fish, Apteronotus albifrons, we examined the unique neurophysiological properties that support the encoding of electrosensory communication signals that the animal encounters in social exchanges. We compare our findings to known coding properties of the closely related species, Apteronotus leptorhynchus, to establish how these animals differ in their ability to encode their distinctive communication signals. While there are many similarities between these two species, we found notable differences leading to relatively poor coding of the details of chirp structure occurring on high-frequency background beats. As a result, small differences in chirp properties are poorly resolved by the nervous system. We performed behavioral tests to relate A. albifrons chirp coding strategies to its use of chirps during social encounters. Our results suggest that A. albifrons do not exchange frequent chirps in non-breeding condition, particularly when the beat frequency is high. These findings parallel the mediocre chirp coding accuracy in that they both point to a reduced reliance on frequent and rich exchange of information through chirps during these social interactions. Therefore, our study suggests that neural coding strategies in the central nervous system vary across species in a way that parallels the behavioral use of the sensory signals.SIGNIFICANCESender-receiver matching is a phenomenon commonly observed in the peripheral nervous system. It enables communication production and reception to evolve together so that conspecifics remain sensitive to important signals. In this manuscript we examine this phenomenon in the central nervous system of the weakly electric fish A. albifrons and compare its processing of communication signals to a closely related species (A. leptorhynchus). Although some differences across the two species can help tailor the system for processing species-specific signals, our data indicate that encoding of communication signals in A. albifrons is not as sensitive as in A. leptorhynchus for certain categories of signals. Our data support the idea that the extent of sender-receiver matching can vary as a function of behavioral needs.

scholarly journals Mixed selectivity coding of sensory and motor social signals in the thalamus of a weakly electric fish

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Avner Wallach ◽  
Alexandre Melanson ◽  
Andre Longtin ◽  
Len Maler
Keyword(s):  
Social Behavior ◽  
Mate Selection ◽  
Electric Fish ◽  
Neural Representation ◽  
Weakly Electric Fish ◽  
Social Signals ◽  
Communication Signals ◽  
Low Dimensional ◽  
High Level ◽  
Weakly Electric

Recent studies have shown that high-level neural activity often exhibits mixed selectivity to multi-variate signals. How such representations arise and how they modulate natural behavior is poorly understood. The social behavior of weakly electric fish is relatively low-dimensional and easily reproduced in the laboratory. Here we show how electrosensory signals related to courtship and rivalry in Apteronotus leptorhynchus are represented in the preglomerular nucleus, the thalamic region exclusively connecting the midbrain with the pallium. We show that preglomerular cells convert their midbrain inputs into a mixed selectivity code that includes corollary discharge of outgoing communication signals. We discuss how the preglomerular pallial targets might use these inputs to control social behavior and determine dominance in male-male competition and female mate selection during courtship. Our results showcase the potential of the electrocommunication system as an accessible model for studying the neural substrates of social behavior and principles of multi-dimensional neural representation.

scholarly journals Sensory tuning does not match behavioral relevance of communication signals in free-living weakly electric fish

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jörg Henninger ◽  
Rüdiger Krahe ◽  
Frank Kirschbaum ◽  
Jan Grewe ◽  
Jan Benda
Keyword(s):  
Electric Fish ◽  
Frequency Tuning ◽  
Neuronal Population ◽  
Weakly Electric Fish ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Population Activity ◽  
Communication Signals ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Weakly Electric

AbstractSensory systems evolve in the ecological niches each species is occupying. Accordingly, the tuning of sensory neurons is expected to be adapted to the statistics of natural stimuli. For an unbiased quantification of sensory scenes we tracked natural communication behavior of the weakly electric fish Apteronotus rostratus in their Neotropical rainforest habitat with high spatio-temporal resolution over several days. In the context of courtship and aggression we observed large quantities of electrocommunication signals. Echo responses and acknowledgment signals clearly demonstrated the behavioral relevance of these signals. The known tuning properties of peripheral electrosensory neurons suggest, however, that they are barely activated by these obviously relevant signals. Frequencies of courtship signals are clearly mismatched with the frequency tuning of neuronal population activity. Our results emphasize the importance of quantifying sensory scenes derived from freely behaving animals in their natural habitats for understanding the evolution and function of neural systems.

scholarly journals Statistics of Natural Communication Signals Observed in the Wild Identify Important Yet Neglected Stimulus Regimes in Weakly Electric Fish

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (24) ◽  
pp. 5456-5465 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jörg Henninger ◽  
Rüdiger Krahe ◽  
Frank Kirschbaum ◽  
Jan Grewe ◽  
Jan Benda
Keyword(s):  
Electric Fish ◽  
Weakly Electric Fish ◽  
Communication Signals ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Weakly Electric
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