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Kohashi T, Lube AJ, Yang JH, Roberts-Gaddipati PS, Carlson BA. Pauses during communication release behavioral habituation through recovery from synaptic depression. Curr Biol 2021; 31:3145-3152.e3. [PMID: 34043948 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.04.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
During interactive communication, animals occasionally cease producing communication signals. The behavioral significance of resumed communication signals following a cessation, or silent pause, has been described in human speech: word recognition by listeners is enhanced after silent pauses, and speakers tend to place such pauses prior to words that are contextually unpredictable and that therefore have high information content.1-5 How central nervous systems process signals following pauses differently from signals during continuous communication has not been studied at a cellular level. Here we studied behavioral and neurophysiological impacts of pauses during electric communication in mormyrid fish. We found that isolated fish produced fewer and shorter pauses than fish housed in pairs, and that fish tended to produce burst displays immediately following pauses. In the electrosensory pathway, sensitivity to pauses first arose in the midbrain posterior exterolateral nucleus (ELp): evoked field potentials were enhanced as pause duration increased, with a time constant of ∼1 s. Intracellular recording from single ELp neurons suggested that this increased sensitivity resulted from a pause-associated recovery from synaptic depression that was induced by the preceding stimulation. Behavioral responses were also facilitated by longer pauses, with a similar time constant of ∼1 s. Further, during natural electric communication between pairs of fish, the insertion of artificial pauses resulted in increased signaling by the receiving fish immediately following the pause. Thus, our results suggest that pauses during communication release sensory circuits from synaptic depression, thereby maximizing the physiological and behavioral effects of subsequent communication signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsunehiko Kohashi
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA; Neuroscience Institute, Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Adalee J Lube
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Jenny H Yang
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | | | - Bruce A Carlson
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.
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2
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Sinz FH, Sachgau C, Henninger J, Benda J, Grewe J. Simultaneous spike-time locking to multiple frequencies. J Neurophysiol 2020; 123:2355-2372. [PMID: 32374223 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00615.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Locking of neural firing is ubiquitously observed in the brain and occurs when neurons fire at a particular phase or in synchronization with an external signal. Here we study in detail the locking of single neurons to multiple distinct frequencies at the example of p-type electroreceptor afferents in the electrosensory system of the weakly electric fish Apteronotus leptorhynchus (brown ghost knifefish). We find that electrosensory afferents and pyramidal cells in the electrosensory lateral line lobe (ELL) lock to multiple frequencies, including the electric organ discharge (EOD) frequency, beat, and stimulus itself. We identify key elements necessary for locking to multiple frequencies, study its limits, and provide concise mathematical models reproducing our main findings. Our findings provide another example of how rate and temporal codes can coexist and complement each other in single neurons and demonstrate that sensory coding in p-type electroreceptor afferents provides a much richer representation of the sensory environment than commonly assumed. Since the underlying mechanisms are not specific to the electrosensory system, our results could provide the basis for studying multiple frequency locking in other systems.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Locking of neuronal spikes to external and internal signals is a ubiquitous neurophysiological mechanism that has been extensively studied in several brain areas and species. Using experimental data from the electrosensory system and concise mathematical models, we analyze how a single neuron can simultaneously lock to multiple frequencies. Our findings demonstrate how temporal and rate codes can complement each other and lead to rich neuronal representations of sensory signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian H Sinz
- Institute for Bioinformatics and Medical Informatics, University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.,Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Tübingen, Germany.,Center for Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Carolin Sachgau
- Department of Neuroethology, Institute for Neuroscience, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jörg Henninger
- Charité, Medical School of Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jan Benda
- Department of Neuroethology, Institute for Neuroscience, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.,Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jan Grewe
- Department of Neuroethology, Institute for Neuroscience, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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3
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Metzen MG. Encoding and Perception of Electro-communication Signals in Apteronotus leptorhynchus. Front Integr Neurosci 2019; 13:39. [PMID: 31481882 PMCID: PMC6710435 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2019.00039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Accepted: 07/31/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal communication plays an essential role in triggering diverse behaviors. It is believed in this regard that signal production by a sender and its perception by a receiver is co-evolving in order to have beneficial effects such as to ensure that conspecifics remain sensitive to these signals. However, in order to give appropriate responses to a communication signal, the receiver has to first detect and interpret it in a meaningful way. The detection of communication signals can be limited under some circumstances, for example when the signal is masked by the background noise in which it occurs (e.g., the cocktail-party problem). Moreover, some signals are very alike despite having different meanings making it hard to discriminate between them. How the central nervous system copes with these tasks and problems is a central question in systems neuroscience. Gymnotiform weakly electric fish pose an interesting system to answer these questions for various reasons: (1) they use a variety of communication signals called “chirps” during different behavioral encounters; (2) the central physiology of the electrosensory system is well known; and (3) most importantly, these fish give reliable behavioral responses to artificial stimuli that resemble natural communication signals, making it possible to uncover the neural mechanisms that lead to the observed behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael G Metzen
- Department of Physiology, McGill University Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
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4
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Raab T, Linhart L, Wurm A, Benda J. Dominance in Habitat Preference and Diurnal Explorative Behavior of the Weakly Electric Fish Apteronotus leptorhynchus. Front Integr Neurosci 2019; 13:21. [PMID: 31333424 PMCID: PMC6624740 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2019.00021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2019] [Accepted: 06/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Electrocommunication and -localization behaviors of weakly electric fish have been studied extensively in the lab, mostly by means of short-term observations on constrained fish. Far less is known about their behaviors in more natural-like settings, where fish are less constrained in space and time. We tracked individual fish in a population of fourteen brown ghost knifefish (Apteronotus leptorhynchus) housed in a large 2 m3 indoor tank based on their electric organ discharges (EOD). The tank contained four different natural-like microhabitats (gravel, plants, isolated stones, stacked stones). In particular during the day individual fish showed preferences for specific habitats which provided appropriate shelter. Male fish with higher EOD frequencies spent more time in their preferred habitat during the day, moved more often between habitats during the night, and less often during the day in comparison to low-frequency males. Our data thus revealed a link between dominance indicated by higher EOD frequency, territoriality, and a more explorative personality in male A. leptorhynchus. In females, movement activity during both day and night correlated positively with EOD frequency. In the night, fish of either sex moved to another habitat after about 6 s on average. During the day, the average transition time was also very short at about 20 s. However, these activity phases were interrupted by phases of inactivity that lasted on average about 20 min during the day, but only 3 min in the night. The individual preference for daytime retreat sites did not reflect the frequent explorative movements at night.
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Affiliation(s)
- Till Raab
- Institute for Neurobiology, Eberhard Karls Universität, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Laura Linhart
- Institute for Neurobiology, Eberhard Karls Universität, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Anna Wurm
- Institute for Neurobiology, Eberhard Karls Universität, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jan Benda
- Institute for Neurobiology, Eberhard Karls Universität, Tübingen, Germany
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Allen KM, Marsat G. Neural Processing of Communication Signals: The Extent of Sender-Receiver Matching Varies across Species of Apteronotus. eNeuro 2019; 6:ENEURO.0392-18.2019. [PMID: 30899777 PMCID: PMC6426436 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0392-18.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2018] [Revised: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 02/09/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
As 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 to 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 the 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 does not exchange frequent chirps in a nonbreeding 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 CNS vary across species in a way that parallels the behavioral use of the sensory signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryne M Allen
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26505
| | - Gary Marsat
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26505
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Petzold JM, Alves-Gomes JA, Smith GT. Chirping and asymmetric jamming avoidance responses in the electric fish Distocyclus conirostris. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 221:jeb.178913. [PMID: 30012575 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.178913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2018] [Accepted: 07/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Electrosensory systems of weakly electric fish must accommodate competing demands of sensing the environment (electrolocation) and receiving social information (electrocommunication). The jamming avoidance response (JAR) is a behavioral strategy thought to reduce electrosensory interference from conspecific signals close in frequency. We used playback experiments to characterize electric organ discharge frequency (EODf), chirping behavior and the JAR of Distocyclus conirostris, a gregarious electric fish species. EODs of D. conirostris had low frequencies (∼80-200 Hz) that shifted in response to playback stimuli. Fish consistently lowered EODf in response to higher-frequency stimuli but inconsistently raised or lowered EODf in response to lower-frequency stimuli. This led to jamming avoidance or anti-jamming avoidance, respectively. We compare these behaviors with those of closely related electric fish (Eigenmannia and Sternopygus) and suggest that the JAR may have additional social functions and may not solely minimize the deleterious effects of jamming, as its name suggests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacquelyn M Petzold
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, 1001 E. 3rd St., Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.,Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, 409 N. Park Ave., Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - José A Alves-Gomes
- Laboratório de Fisiologia Comportamental e Evolução (LFCE), Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Manaus, AM 69083-000, Brazil
| | - G Troy Smith
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, 1001 E. 3rd St., Bloomington, IN 47405, USA .,Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, 409 N. Park Ave., Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
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7
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Synchronous spikes are necessary but not sufficient for a synchrony code in populations of spiking neurons. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:E1977-E1985. [PMID: 28202729 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1615561114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Synchronous activity in populations of neurons potentially encodes special stimulus features. Selective readout of either synchronous or asynchronous activity allows formation of two streams of information processing. Theoretical work predicts that such a synchrony code is a fundamental feature of populations of spiking neurons if they operate in specific noise and stimulus regimes. Here we experimentally test the theoretical predictions by quantifying and comparing neuronal response properties in tuberous and ampullary electroreceptor afferents of the weakly electric fish Apteronotus leptorhynchus These related systems show similar levels of synchronous activity, but only in the more irregularly firing tuberous afferents a synchrony code is established, whereas in the more regularly firing ampullary afferents it is not. The mere existence of synchronous activity is thus not sufficient for a synchrony code. Single-cell features such as the irregularity of spiking and the frequency dependence of the neuron's transfer function determine whether synchronous spikes possess a distinct meaning for the encoding of time-dependent signals.
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8
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Dangelmayer S, Benda J, Grewe J. Weakly electric fish learn both visual and electrosensory cues in a multisensory object discrimination task. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 110:182-189. [PMID: 27825970 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphysparis.2016.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2016] [Revised: 10/28/2016] [Accepted: 10/28/2016] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Weakly electric fish use electrosensory, visual, olfactory and lateral line information to guide foraging and navigation behaviors. In many cases they preferentially rely on electrosensory cues. Do fish also memorize non-electrosensory cues? Here, we trained individuals of gymnotiform weakly electric fish Apteronotus albifrons in an object discrimination task. Objects were combinations of differently conductive materials covered with differently colored cotton hoods. By setting visual and electrosensory cues in conflict we analyzed the sensory hierarchy among the electrosensory and the visual sense in object discrimination. Our experiments show that: (i) black ghost knifefish can be trained to solve discrimination tasks similarly to the mormyrid fish; (ii) fish preferentially rely on electrosensory cues for object discrimination; (iii) despite the dominance of the electrosense they still learn the visual cue and use it when electrosensory information is not available; (iv) fish prefer the trained combination of rewarded cues over combinations that match only in a single feature and also memorize the non-rewarded combination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Dangelmayer
- Institute for Neurobiology, Eberhardt Karls Universität Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jan Benda
- Institute for Neurobiology, Eberhardt Karls Universität Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jan Grewe
- Institute for Neurobiology, Eberhardt Karls Universität Tübingen, Germany.
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9
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Petzold JM, Marsat G, Smith GT. Co-adaptation of electric organ discharges and chirps in South American ghost knifefishes (Apteronotidae). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 110:200-215. [PMID: 27989653 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphysparis.2016.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2016] [Revised: 10/24/2016] [Accepted: 10/25/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Animal communication signals that simultaneously share the same sensory channel are likely to co-evolve to maximize the transmission of each signal component. Weakly electric fish continuously produce a weak electric field that functions in communication. Fish modulate the electric organ discharge (EOD) on short timescales to produce context-specific signals called chirps. EODs and chirps are simultaneously detected by electroreceptors and processed in the electrosensory system. We analyzed these signals, first to explore whether EOD waveform is encoded in the signal received by electroreceptors and then to examine how EODs and chirps interact to influence conspicuousness. Our findings show that gross discrimination of sinusoidal from complex EOD waveforms is feasible for all species, but fine discrimination of waveform may be possible only for species with waveforms of intermediate complexity. The degree of chirp frequency modulation and chirp relative decay strongly influenced chirp conspicuousness, but other chirp parameters were less influential. The frequency difference between the interacting EODs also strongly impacted chirp conspicuousness. Finally, we developed a method for creating hybrid chirp/EOD combinations to independently analyze the impact of chirp species, EOD species, and EOD difference frequency on chirp conspicuousness. All three components and their interactions strongly influenced chirp conspicuousness, which suggests that evolutionary changes in parameters of either chirps or EODs are likely to influence chirp detection. Examining other environmental factors such as noise created by fish movement and species-typical patterns of sociality may enrich our understanding of how interacting EODs affect the detection and discrimination of chirps across species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacquelyn M Petzold
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, 1001 E. 3rd St., Bloomington, IN 47405, USA; Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, 409 N. Park Ave., Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
| | - Gary Marsat
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, 53 Campus Dr., Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
| | - G Troy Smith
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, 1001 E. 3rd St., Bloomington, IN 47405, USA; Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, 409 N. Park Ave., Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
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