Prey or predator? - two types of electrosensory information processing in the hindbrain of sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus)
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1
Shanghai Ocean University, Institute for Marine Biosystem and Neuroscience, China
Sturgeons are known to detect their prey fish by using a passive electrosensory system. In general, the electric fields of prey fish were dipolar features with a negative potential on head and a positive potential on tail, and modulated by the respiratory rhythm of the fish. In this study, two sinusoidal dipoles fields simulating the prey fish with different direction were applied to determine the neurons’ preference of field orientation in the dorsal octavolateral nucleus (DON) of white sturgeon, Acipenser transmontanus. We found that DON neurons showed regular spontaneous activity and could be classified into two types: neurons with a low spontaneous rate (<10 Hz) and those with a high spontaneous rate (>10 Hz). The neurons with high spontaneous activity had the higher relative evoked rates during the stimulus; the degree of phase locking response decreased with the spontaneous rate. And there was no significant difference in increasing evoked discharge rates with two dipolar stimulations (Mann Whitney U test, U=6.00, Z=-0.577, P>0.05), but there were two kinds of phase locking response in DON units. With one dipole field axis paralleling to the fish body, the units were found to increase the spike rate at the positive half cycle, showing two peaks at angles 200° and 270° in the phase plot. For stimuli perpendicular to the fish body, firing suppressed in the positive cycle, and the spikes appeared at the negative half cycle and at a phase angle of approximately 90°. It was possible that the neurons with high spontaneous activity preferred to rate coding and used electrosensory avoidance behaviors to avoid the predator or metal obstacles. But the neurons with low spontaneous activity preferred phase coding for orientating the prey fish or predators. The results suggested that two modes of electrosensory processing were adapted for rapid response of different behaviors.
Keywords:
dipole,
directional process,
dorsal octaval nucleus,
electrosense,
sturgeon
Conference:
Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology, College Park. Maryland USA, United States, 5 Aug - 10 Aug, 2012.
Presentation Type:
Poster Presentation (see alternatives below as well)
Topic:
Sensory: Electrosensory
Citation:
Zhang
X and
Song
J
(2012). Prey or predator? - two types of electrosensory information processing in the hindbrain of sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus).
Conference Abstract:
Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnbeh.2012.27.00433
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Received:
07 May 2012;
Published Online:
07 Jul 2012.
*
Correspondence:
Dr. Jiakun Song, Shanghai Ocean University, Institute for Marine Biosystem and Neuroscience, Shanghai, 201306, China, jksong@umd.edu