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Roth TC, Rosier M, Krochmal AR, Clark L. A multi‐trait, field‐based examination of personality in a semi‐aquatic turtle. Ethology 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Timothy C. Roth
- Department of Psychology Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster PA USA
| | - Maxwell Rosier
- Department of Psychology Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster PA USA
- 18 Rose Lane PA USA
| | | | - Lisa Clark
- Department of Psychology Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster PA USA
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3
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Roth TC, Krochmal AR, LaDage LD. Reptilian Cognition: A More Complex Picture via Integration of Neurological Mechanisms, Behavioral Constraints, and Evolutionary Context. Bioessays 2019; 41:e1900033. [PMID: 31210380 DOI: 10.1002/bies.201900033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Revised: 05/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Unlike birds and mammals, reptiles are commonly thought to possess only the most rudimentary means of interacting with their environments, reflexively responding to sensory information to the near exclusion of higher cognitive function. However, reptilian brains, though structurally somewhat different from those of mammals and birds, use many of the same cellular and molecular processes to support complex behaviors in homologous brain regions. Here, the neurological mechanisms supporting reptilian cognition are reviewed, focusing specifically on spatial cognition and the hippocampus. These processes are compared to those seen in mammals and birds within an ecologically and evolutionarily relevant context. By viewing reptilian cognition through an integrative framework, a more robust understanding of reptile cognition is gleaned. Doing so yields a broader view of the evolutionarily conserved molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie cognitive function and a better understanding of the factors that led to the evolution of complex cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy C Roth
- Department of Psychology, Franklin and Marshall College, P.O. Box 3003, Lancaster, PA, 17603, USA
| | - Aaron R Krochmal
- Department of Biology, Washington College, 300 Washington Avenue, Chestertown, MD, 21620, USA
| | - Lara D LaDage
- Division of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Penn State University Altoona, Altoona, PA, 16601, USA
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4
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Roth TC, Krochmal AR. Of molecules, memories and migration: M1 acetylcholine receptors facilitate spatial memory formation and recall during migratory navigation. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:rspb.2018.1904. [PMID: 30429306 PMCID: PMC6253372 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2018] [Accepted: 10/24/2018] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Many animals use complex cognitive processes, including the formation and recall of memories, for successful navigation. However, the developmental and neurological processes underlying these cognitive aspects of navigation are poorly understood. To address the importance of the formation and recollection of memories during navigation, we pharmacologically manipulated turtles (Chrysemys picta) that navigate long distances using precise, complex paths learned during a juvenile critical period. We treated freely navigating turtles both within and outside of their critical learning period with a specific M1 acetylcholine receptor antagonist, a drug known to disrupt spatial cognition. Experienced adult turtles lost all navigational ability under the influence of the drug, while naive juveniles navigated successfully. We retested these same juveniles the following year (after they had passed their critical period). The juveniles that initially navigated successfully under the influence of the antagonist (but were unable to form spatial memories) were unable to do so subsequently. However, the control animals (who had the opportunity to form memories previously) exhibited typical navigational precision. These results suggest that the formation of spatial memories for navigation occur during a critical period, and successful navigation after the critical period is dependent upon the recall of such memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy C Roth
- Department of Psychology, Franklin and Marshall College, PO Box 3003, Lancaster, PA 17603, USA
| | - Aaron R Krochmal
- Department of Biology, Washington College, 300 Washington Avenue, Chestertown, MD 21620, USA
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Krochmal AR, Roth TC, O'Malley H. An empirical test of the role of learning in translocation. Anim Conserv 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- A. R. Krochmal
- Department of Biology; Washington College; Chestertown MD USA
| | - T. C. Roth
- Department of Psychology; Franklin and Marshall College; Lancaster PA USA
| | - H. O'Malley
- Education Coordinator; Disney's Animals; Science and Environment; Lake Buena Vista FL USA
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7
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Manshack LK, Conard CM, Bryan SJ, Deem SL, Holliday DK, Bivens NJ, Givan SA, Rosenfeld CS. Transcriptomic alterations in the brain of painted turtles ( Chrysemys picta) developmentally exposed to bisphenol A or ethinyl estradiol. Physiol Genomics 2017; 49:201-215. [PMID: 28159858 DOI: 10.1152/physiolgenomics.00103.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2016] [Revised: 02/01/2017] [Accepted: 02/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental exposure of turtles and other reptiles to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), including bisphenol A (BPA) and ethinyl estradiol (EE), can stimulate partial to full gonadal sex-reversal in males. We have also recently shown that in ovo exposure to either EDC can induce similar sex-dependent behavioral changes typified by improved spatial learning and memory or possibly feminized brain responses. Observed behavioral changes are presumed to be due to BPA- and EE-induced brain transcriptomic alterations during development. To test this hypothesis, we treated painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) at developmental stage 17, incubated at 26°C (male-inducing temperature), with 1) BPA (1 ng/µl), 2) EE (4 ng/µl), or 3) vehicle ethanol (control group). Ten months after hatching and completion of the behavioral tests, juvenile turtles were euthanized, brains were collected and frozen in liquid nitrogen, and RNA was isolated for RNA-Seq analysis. Turtles exposed to BPA clustered separately from EE-exposed and control individuals. More transcripts and gene pathways were altered in BPA vs. EE individuals. The one transcript upregulated in both BPA- and EE-exposed individuals was the mitochondrial-associated gene, ND5, which is involved in oxidative phosphorylation. Early exposure of turtles to BPA increases transcripts linked with ribosomal and mitochondrial functions, especially bioenergetics, which has been previously linked with improved cognitive performance. In summary, even though both BPA and EE resulted in similar behavioral alterations, they diverge in the pattern of neural transcript alterations with early BPA significantly upregulating several genes involved in oxidative phosphorylation, mitochondrial activity, and ribosomal function, which could enhance cognitive performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey K Manshack
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri.,Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
| | - Caroline M Conard
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri.,Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
| | - Sara J Bryan
- Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
| | - Sharon L Deem
- Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri.,Saint Louis Zoo Institute for Conservation Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Dawn K Holliday
- Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri.,Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri
| | - Nathan J Bivens
- DNA Core Facility, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
| | - Scott A Givan
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri.,Informatics Research Core Facility, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri.,Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
| | - Cheryl S Rosenfeld
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri; .,Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri.,Genetics Area Program, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri; and.,Thompson Center for Autism and Neurobehavioral Disorders, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
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Roth TC, Krochmal AR, Gerwig WB, Rush S, Simmons NT, Sullivan JD, Wachter K. Using Pharmacological Manipulation and High-precision Radio Telemetry to Study the Spatial Cognition in Free-ranging Animals. J Vis Exp 2016. [PMID: 27842346 DOI: 10.3791/54790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
An animal's ability to perceive and learn about its environment plays a key role in many behavioral processes, including navigation, migration, dispersal and foraging. However, the understanding of the role of cognition in the development of navigation strategies and the mechanisms underlying these strategies is limited by the methodological difficulties involved in monitoring, manipulating the cognition of, and tracking wild animals. This study describes a protocol for addressing the role of cognition in navigation that combines pharmacological manipulation of behavior with high-precision radio telemetry. The approach uses scopolamine, a muscarinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist, to manipulate cognitive spatial abilities. Treated animals are then monitored with high frequency and high spatial resolution via remote triangulation. This protocol was applied within a population of Eastern painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) that has inhabited seasonally ephemeral water sources for ~100 years, moving between far-off sources using precise (± 3.5 m), complex (i.e., non-linear with high tortuosity that traverse multiple habitats), and predictable routes learned before 4 years of age. This study showed that the processes used by these turtles are consistent with spatial memory formation and recall. Together, these results are consistent with a role of spatial cognition in complex navigation and highlight the integration of ecological and pharmacological techniques in the study of cognition and navigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy C Roth
- Department of Psychology, Franklin and Marshall College;
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