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Potrich D, Orsini C, Stancher G, Baratti G, Sovrano VA. A Comparison of Detour Behaviors in Some Marine and Freshwater Fish Species. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:2572. [PMID: 39272357 PMCID: PMC11394425 DOI: 10.3390/ani14172572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2024] [Revised: 08/30/2024] [Accepted: 09/02/2024] [Indexed: 09/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Evidence of detour ability to reach a salient goal in marine fishes (Chromis viridis, Chrysiptera parasema, Dascyllus aruanus) and freshwater fishes (Xenotoca eiseni, Danio rerio) has been observed using a "four-compartment box task" with an opaque barrier. The first experiment investigated this ability in marine fishes (Chromis viridis, Chrysiptera parasema, Dascyllus aruanus). Fish were placed in a four-compartment box, with social stimuli not accessible due to an opaque barrier. Two symmetrical apertures midline in the corridor allowed the fish to temporarily abandon the goal's view and attempt to circumvent the barrier. Marine fish showed searching behavior in the two compartments near the social stimuli. In the second experiment, the detour abilities of a marine fish (Dascyllus aruanus) and two freshwater fishes (Xenotoca eiseni, Danio rerio) were compared using a modified version of the apparatus, with elongated compartments continuing further from the obstacle barrier and social stimuli. This enabled the evaluation of the dependence on effective distance to achieve the social goal. Both marine and freshwater fish exhibited detour skills. Additionally, Danio rerio's differential spatial explorations inside compartments supported an active interest in searching for conspecifics, suggesting possible social object permanence retention. Overall, these results highlight the ecological salience of detour skills in fishes, irrespective of species-specific adaptations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Potrich
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, Italy
| | - Chiara Orsini
- Institute of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | | | - Greta Baratti
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, Italy
| | - Valeria Anna Sovrano
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, Italy
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, Italy
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2
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van der Westhuizen C, Botha TL, Finger-Baier K, Brouwer GD, Wolmarans DW. Contingency learning in zebrafish exposed to apomorphine- and levetiracetam. Behav Pharmacol 2023; 34:424-436. [PMID: 37578419 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
Cognitive rigidity (CR) refers to inadequate executive adaptation in the face of changing circumstances. Increased CR is associated with a number of psychiatric disorders, for example, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and improving cognitive functioning by targeting CR in these conditions, may be fruitful. Levetiracetam (LEV), clinically used to treat epilepsy, may have pro-cognitive effects by restoring balance to neuronal signalling. To explore this possibility, we applied apomorphine (APO) exposure in an attempt to induce rigid cue-directed responses following a cue (visual pattern)-reward (social conspecifics) contingency learning phase and to assess the effects of LEV on such behaviours. Briefly, zebrafish were divided into four different 39-day-long exposure groups ( n = 9-10) as follows: control (CTRL), APO (100 µg/L), LEV (750 µg/L) and APO + LEV (100 µg/L + 750 µg/L). The main findings of this experiment were that 1) all four exposure groups performed similarly with respect to reward- and cue-directed learning over the first two study phases, 2) compared to the CTRL group, all drug interventions, but notably the APO + LEV combination, lowered the degree of reward-directed behaviour during a dissociated presentation of the cue and reward, and 3) temporal and spatial factors influenced the manner in which zebrafish responded to the presentation of the reward. Future studies are needed to explore the relevance of these findings for our understanding of the potential cognitive effects of LEV.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tarryn L Botha
- Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom
- Department of Zoology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Karin Finger-Baier
- Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, now: Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Geoffrey de Brouwer
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Health, North-West University
| | - De Wet Wolmarans
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Health, North-West University
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3
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Planidin NP, Reimchen TE. Behavioural responses of threespine stickleback with lateral line asymmetries to experimental mechanosensory stimuli. J Exp Biol 2021; 225:273859. [PMID: 34939652 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Behavioural asymmetry, typically referred to as laterality, is widespread among bilaterians and is often associated with asymmetry in brain structure. However, the influence of sensory receptor asymmetry on laterality has undergone limited investigation. Here we use threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) to investigate the influence of lateral line asymmetry on laterality during lab simulations of three mechanosensation-dependent behaviours: predator evasion, prey localization and rheotaxis. We recorded the response of stickleback to impacts at the water surface and water flow in photic conditions and low-frequency oscillations in the dark, across four repeat trials. We then compared individuals' laterality to asymmetry in the number of neuromasts on either side of their body. Stickleback hovered with their right side against the arena wall 57% of the time (P<0.001) in illuminated surface impact trials and 56% of the time in (P=0.085) dark low-frequency stimulation trials. Light regime modulated the effect of neuromast count on laterality, as fish with more neuromasts were more likely to hover with the wall on their right during illumination (P=0.007) but were less likely to do so in darkness (P=0.025). Population level laterality diminished in later trials across multiple behaviours and individuals did not show a consistent side bias in any behaviours. Our results demonstrate a complex relationship between sensory structure asymmetry and laterality, suggesting that laterality is modulated multiple sensory modalities and temporally dynamic.
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Berlinghieri F, Panizzon P, Penry-Williams IL, Brown C. Laterality and fish welfare - A review. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2021.105239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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5
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Tung A, Levin M. Extra-genomic instructive influences in morphogenesis: A review of external signals that regulate growth and form. Dev Biol 2020; 461:1-12. [PMID: 31981561 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2020.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Revised: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Embryonic development and regeneration accomplish a remarkable feat: individual cells work together to create or repair complex anatomical structures. What is the source of the instructive signals that specify these invariant and robust organ-level outcomes? The most frequently studied source of morphogenetic control is the host genome and its transcriptional circuits. However, it is now apparent that significant information affecting patterning also arrives from outside of the body. Both biotic and physical factors, including temperature and various molecular signals emanating from pathogens, commensals, and conspecific organisms, affect developmental outcomes. Here, we review examples in which anatomical patterning decisions are strongly impacted by lateral signals that originate from outside of the zygotic genome. The endogenous pathways targeted by these influences often show transgenerational effects, enabling them to shape the evolution of anatomies even faster than traditional Baldwin-type assimilation. We also discuss recent advances in the biophysics of morphogenetic controls and speculate on additional sources of important patterning information which could be exploited to better understand the evolution of bodies and to design novel approaches for regenerative medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Tung
- Department of Biology and Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
| | - Michael Levin
- Department of Biology and Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA; Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.
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6
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Miletto Petrazzini ME, Sovrano VA, Vallortigara G, Messina A. Brain and Behavioral Asymmetry: A Lesson From Fish. Front Neuroanat 2020; 14:11. [PMID: 32273841 PMCID: PMC7113390 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2020.00011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
It is widely acknowledged that the left and right hemispheres of human brains display both anatomical and functional asymmetries. For more than a century, brain and behavioral lateralization have been considered a uniquely human feature linked to language and handedness. However, over the past decades this idea has been challenged by an increasing number of studies describing structural asymmetries and lateralized behaviors in non-human species extending from primates to fish. Evidence suggesting that a similar pattern of brain lateralization occurs in all vertebrates, humans included, has allowed the emergence of different model systems to investigate the development of brain asymmetries and their impact on behavior. Among animal models, fish have contributed much to the research on lateralization as several fish species exhibit lateralized behaviors. For instance, behavioral studies have shown that the advantages of having an asymmetric brain, such as the ability of simultaneously processing different information and perform parallel tasks compensate the potential costs associated with poor integration of information between the two hemispheres thus helping to better understand the possible evolutionary significance of lateralization. However, these studies inferred how the two sides of the brains are differentially specialized by measuring the differences in the behavioral responses but did not allow to directly investigate the relation between anatomical and functional asymmetries. With respect to this issue, in recent years zebrafish has become a powerful model to address lateralization at different level of complexity, from genes to neural circuitry and behavior. The possibility of combining genetic manipulation of brain asymmetries with cutting-edge in vivo imaging technique and behavioral tests makes the zebrafish a valuable model to investigate the phylogeny and ontogeny of brain lateralization and its relevance for normal brain function and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Valeria Anna Sovrano
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy.,Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | | | - Andrea Messina
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
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Lucon-Xiccato T, Dadda M, Bisazza A. Vegetation cover induces developmental plasticity of lateralization in tadpoles. Curr Zool 2019; 66:393-399. [PMID: 32617087 PMCID: PMC7319465 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoz061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2019] [Accepted: 11/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Lateralization of cognitive functions influences a large number of fitness-related behaviors and shows, in most species, substantial variation in strength and direction. Laboratory works and field data have suggested that this variation is often due to adaptive phenotypic plasticity. Strong lateralization should be favored in some ecological conditions, for example, under high risk of predation. For anuran tadpoles, the presence of cover affects predation risk, with tadpoles being more exposed to predators in environments with reduced cover. We tested the hypothesis that the amount of cover experienced early in life affects lateralization in the edible frog, Pelophylax esculentus, tadpoles. We exposed embryos and larvae to high or low vegetation cover environments. For half of the subjects, the treatment was constant whereas the remaining subjects were switched to the opposite treatment after hatching. In agreement with the theoretical expectation, tadpoles exposed to low vegetation cover for the entire development were more lateralized and showed a stronger alignment in directionality of lateralization compared with tadpoles exposed to high vegetation cover. This indicates a possible role of natural variation in vegetation abundance and developmental plasticity as determinants of between-population and between-individual differences in lateralization. We also found that shifting from high to low vegetation cover treatments and vice versa disrupted lateralization alignment, suggesting that developmental trajectories for this trait are determined at the embryonic stage and need environmental stability to be fully expressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyrone Lucon-Xiccato
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via L. Borsari 46, 44121, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Marco Dadda
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia 8, 3511, Padova, Italy
| | - Angelo Bisazza
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia 8, 3511, Padova, Italy
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8
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Fuss T, Nöbel S, Witte K. It's in the eye of the beholder: visual lateralisation in response to the social environment in poeciliids. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2019; 94:759-771. [PMID: 30854659 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.13953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 03/08/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The social environment offers fish complex information about the quality, performance, personality and other cues of potential mates and competitors simultaneously. It is likely, therefore, that the environmental information regarding the context of mate choice is perceived and processed differently in species and sexes in respect to lateralisation. The present study comparatively assessed visual lateralisation behaviour in response to different social or sexual stimuli in three closely related poeciliid species (P. latipinna, P. mexicana, P. formosa) in comparison to a more distantly related species (P. reticulata). Individuals were presented with four different social or sexual stimuli that were tested against a control stimulus; (a) a conspecific male, (b) a conspecific female, (c) a heterosexual conspecific pair, (d) three conspecific females (shoal). In order to approach a target stimulus, focal fish had to perform detours to the right or left of a vertically straight-shaped barrier. The three closely related poeciliid species, P. latipinna, P. mexicana, P. formosa, appeared to have a general tendency to turn right (i.e., left-eye preference), whereas the more distantly related P. reticulata males and females showed an overall bias to the left (i.e., right-eye preference) in response to various social-sexual incitements. Moreover, body size seemed to significantly influence especially the males' detour behaviour, with smaller males acting in opposition to their larger conspecifics in response to certain social stimuli. In this case, smaller and larger Poecilia spp. males responded in the same way as smaller and larger males of the other three poeciliid species. Therefore, results possibly point to differences in the degree of general social behaviour between closely and more distantly related species and mating motivation amongst larger and smaller individuals when placed in a novel social environment. Hence, present results possibly suggest a sex-specific functional lateralisation for the analysis of visual information and seem to support the closer ancestral relationships between the Poecilia spp. tested in this study and the more distantly related guppies in terms of their left-right lateralisation. Generally, present results suggest that functional asymmetries in behaviour could be widespread among vertebrates, thus supporting the hypothesis of an early evolution of lateralisation in brain and behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theodora Fuss
- Research Group of Ecology and Behavioural Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany
| | - Sabine Nöbel
- Research Group of Ecology and Behavioural Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany
- Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, Toulouse, France
- Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), Université de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, CNRS, IRD, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Klaudia Witte
- Research Group of Ecology and Behavioural Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany
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9
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Lucon‐Xiccato T. Tadpoles modulate antipredator responses according to the abundance of vegetation experienced during the embryonic stage. J Zool (1987) 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- T. Lucon‐Xiccato
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology University of Ferrara Italy
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10
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Reproducibility and replicability in zebrafish behavioral neuroscience research. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2019; 178:30-38. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2018.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2017] [Revised: 02/06/2018] [Accepted: 02/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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11
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Sovrano VA, Baratti G, Potrich D. A Detour Task in Four Species of Fishes. Front Psychol 2018; 9:2341. [PMID: 30555376 PMCID: PMC6281761 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Four species of fish (Danio rerio, Xenotoca eiseni, Carassius auratus, and Pterophyllum scalare) were tested in a detour task requiring them to temporarily abandon the view of the goal-object (a group of conspecifics) to circumvent an obstacle. Fishes were placed in the middle of a corridor, at the end of which there was an opaque wall with a small window through which the goal was visible. Midline along the corridor two symmetrical apertures allowed animals to access two compartments for each aperture. After passing the aperture, fishes showed searching behavior in the two correct compartments close to the goal, appearing able to localize it, although they had to temporarily move away from the object's view. Here we provide the first evidence that fishes can solve such a detour task and therefore seem able to represent the "permanence in existence" of objects, which continue to exist even if they are not momentarily visible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Anna Sovrano
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Greta Baratti
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Davide Potrich
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
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12
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Besson M, Gache C, Bertucci F, Brooker RM, Roux N, Jacob H, Berthe C, Sovrano VA, Dixson DL, Lecchini D. Exposure to agricultural pesticide impairs visual lateralization in a larval coral reef fish. Sci Rep 2017; 7:9165. [PMID: 28831109 PMCID: PMC5567261 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-09381-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2017] [Accepted: 07/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Lateralization, i.e. the preferential use of one side of the body, may convey fitness benefits for organisms within rapidly-changing environments, by optimizing separate and parallel processing of different information between the two brain hemispheres. In coral reef-fishes, the movement of larvae from planktonic to reef environments (recruitment) represents a major life-history transition. This transition requires larvae to rapidly identify and respond to sensory cues to select a suitable habitat that facilitates survival and growth. This 'recruitment' is critical for population persistence and resilience. In aquarium experiments, larval Acanthurus triostegus preferentially used their right-eye to investigate a variety of visual stimuli. Despite this, when held in in situ cages with predators, those larvae that previously favored their left-eye exhibited higher survival. These results support the "brain's right-hemisphere" theory, which predicts that the right-eye (i.e. left-hemisphere) is used to categorize stimuli while the left-eye (i.e. right-hemisphere) is used to inspect novel items and initiate rapid behavioral-responses. While these experiments confirm that being highly lateralized is ecologically advantageous, exposure to chlorpyrifos, a pesticide often inadvertently added to coral-reef waters, impaired visual-lateralization. This suggests that chemical pollutants could impair the brain function of larval fishes during a critical life-history transition, potentially impacting recruitment success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Besson
- PSL Research University: EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, BP 1013, 98729, Papetoai, Moorea, French Polynesia.
- Université Pierre et Marie Curie, UMR CNRS 7232 OOB, 1 Avenue Pierre Fabre, 66650, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France.
| | - Camille Gache
- PSL Research University: EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, BP 1013, 98729, Papetoai, Moorea, French Polynesia
- Laboratoire d'Excellence "CORAIL", BP 1013, 98729, Papetoai, Moorea, French Polynesia
| | - Frédéric Bertucci
- PSL Research University: EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, BP 1013, 98729, Papetoai, Moorea, French Polynesia
- Laboratoire de Morphologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, AFFISH Research Center, Institut de Chimie B6c, Université de Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Rohan M Brooker
- School of Marine Science and policy, University of Delaware, 111 Robinson Hall, Newark, DE, 19716, USA
| | - Natacha Roux
- PSL Research University: EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, BP 1013, 98729, Papetoai, Moorea, French Polynesia
- Université Pierre et Marie Curie, UMR CNRS 7232 OOB, 1 Avenue Pierre Fabre, 66650, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Hugo Jacob
- PSL Research University: EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, BP 1013, 98729, Papetoai, Moorea, French Polynesia
- International Atomic Energy Agency, Environment Laboratories (IAEA-EL), Principality of Monaco, 98000, Monaco
| | - Cécile Berthe
- PSL Research University: EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, BP 1013, 98729, Papetoai, Moorea, French Polynesia
- Laboratoire d'Excellence "CORAIL", BP 1013, 98729, Papetoai, Moorea, French Polynesia
| | - Valeria Anna Sovrano
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, Piazza Manifattura 1, 38068, Rovereto (TN), Italy
| | - Danielle L Dixson
- School of Marine Science and policy, University of Delaware, 111 Robinson Hall, Newark, DE, 19716, USA
| | - David Lecchini
- PSL Research University: EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, BP 1013, 98729, Papetoai, Moorea, French Polynesia
- Laboratoire d'Excellence "CORAIL", BP 1013, 98729, Papetoai, Moorea, French Polynesia
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Sovrano VA, Quaresmini C, Stancher G. Tortoises in front of mirrors: Brain asymmetries and lateralized behaviours in the tortoise (Testudo hermanni). Behav Brain Res 2017. [PMID: 28629961 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.06.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Brain lateralization in response to social stimuli is well known for its involvement of the right hemisphere in several vertebrate species, including humans. This study aimed to investigate the laterality of the social behavior during the mirror-images inspection in tortoises (Testudo hermanni). In a rectangular apparatus, in presence or in absence of two mirrors as the longer walls, we assessed: 1) the animal's position and 2) the monocular viewing compared to the longer walls, 3) the paw used to start a movement from a resting position. Here we provide the first evidence of lateralization towards social stimuli in tortoises, a reptile that is likely to lead mostly a solitary life, but also able to show a few basic abilities in social cognition. Results revealed a preference to spend significantly more time in peripheral positions, mainly in the presence of mirrors. Moreover, a consistent left-eye preference to inspect the mirrors was observed, especially when close to them. In contrast, a significant right-eye preference appeared in absence of mirrors, when tortoises occupied the central areas. Findings show a significant preference for right-paw use in starting movements, when mirrors were present. Results are discussed with reference to other evidence of brain asymmetry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Anna Sovrano
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Piazza della Manifattura 1, Ed. 14, I-38068 Rovereto, TN, Italy; Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, University of Trento, Corso Bettini 84, I-38068 Rovereto, TN, Italy.
| | - Caterina Quaresmini
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, University of Trento, Corso Bettini 84, I-38068 Rovereto, TN, Italy
| | - Gionata Stancher
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Piazza della Manifattura 1, Ed. 14, I-38068 Rovereto, TN, Italy; Rovereto Civic Museum Foundation, Largo Santa Caterina 41, 38068 Rovereto, TN, Italy.
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14
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Wiper ML. Evolutionary and mechanistic drivers of laterality: A review and new synthesis. Laterality 2017; 22:740-770. [DOI: 10.1080/1357650x.2017.1291658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mallory L. Wiper
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Windsor, Windsor, Canada
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15
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Manipulation of Strength of Cerebral Lateralization via Embryonic Light Stimulation in Birds. LATERALIZED BRAIN FUNCTIONS 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-6725-4_19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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16
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Sullivan KG, Emmons-Bell M, Levin M. Physiological inputs regulate species-specific anatomy during embryogenesis and regeneration. Commun Integr Biol 2016; 9:e1192733. [PMID: 27574538 PMCID: PMC4988443 DOI: 10.1080/19420889.2016.1192733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2016] [Revised: 05/13/2016] [Accepted: 05/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A key problem in evolutionary developmental biology is identifying the sources of instructive information that determine species-specific anatomical pattern. Understanding the inputs to large-scale morphology is also crucial for efforts to manipulate pattern formation in regenerative medicine and synthetic bioengineering. Recent studies have revealed a physiological system of communication among cells that regulates pattern during embryogenesis and regeneration in vertebrate and invertebrate models. Somatic tissues form networks using the same ion channels, electrical synapses, and neurotransmitter mechanisms exploited by the brain for information-processing. Experimental manipulation of these circuits was recently shown to override genome default patterning outcomes, resulting in head shapes resembling those of other species in planaria and Xenopus. The ability to drastically alter macroscopic anatomy to that of other extant species, despite a wild-type genomic sequence, suggests exciting new approaches to the understanding and control of patterning. Here, we review these results and discuss hypotheses regarding non-genomic systems of instructive information that determine biological growth and form.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly G Sullivan
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Tufts University , Medford, MA, USA
| | - Maya Emmons-Bell
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Tufts University , Medford, MA, USA
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Tufts University , Medford, MA, USA
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