Schooling behavior of tadpoles: A potential indicator of ototoxicity

Lum, Andrew M.; Wassersug, Richard J.; Potel, Michael J.; Lerner, Stephen A.

doi:10.1016/0091-3057(82)90093-4

Cited by 17 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…X . laevis exhibits schooling behaviors that are similar to those of fishes [7, 36] and that are disrupted by aminoglycoside treatment [8]. Bullfrog tadpoles, on the other hand, do not school and are only loosely clumped, without precise alignment (personal observations and [36]).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variability of Rheotaxis Behaviors in Larval Bullfrogs Highlights Species Diversity in Lateral Line Function

Brown

Simmons

2016

PLoS ONE

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The morphology and distribution of lateral line neuromasts vary between ecomorphological types of anuran tadpoles, but little is known about how this structural variability contributes to differences in lateral-line mediated behaviors. Previous research identified distinct differences in one such behavior, positive rheotaxis towards the source of a flow, in two tadpole species, the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis; type 1) and the American bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana; type 4). Because these two species had been tested under different flow conditions, we re-evaluated these findings by quantifying flow-sensing behaviors of bullfrog tadpoles in the same flow field in which X. laevis tadpoles had been tested previously. Early larval bullfrog tadpoles were exposed to flow in the dark, in the presence of a discrete light cue, and after treatment with the ototoxin gentamicin. In response to flow, tadpoles moved downstream, closer to a side wall, and higher in the water column, but they did not station-hold. Tadpoles exhibited positive rheotaxis, but with long latencies, low to moderate accuracy, and considerable individual variability. This is in contrast to the robust, stereotyped station-holding and accurate rheotaxis of X. laevis tadpoles. The presence of a discrete visual cue and gentamicin treatment altered spatial positioning and disrupted rheotaxis in both tadpole species. Species differences in lateral-line mediated behaviors may reflect differences in neuromast number and distribution, life history, or perceptual salience of other environmental cues.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variability of Rheotaxis Behaviors in Larval Bullfrogs Highlights Species Diversity in Lateral Line Function

Brown

Simmons

2016

PLoS ONE

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“…Animals were immersed for 1 h in this solution, and were rinsed off in distilled water for 1 min before testing. Montgomery et al (1997) exposed fish to a solution of 0.5 g l −1 streptomycin for 3 h. Because Lum et al (1982) reported a significant increase in the distance between tadpoles in schools after only 18 min of exposure, we opted not to use the longer exposure time used by Montgomery et al (1997) and to keep the streptomycin exposure time equal to the CoCl 2 exposure time. A third group of tadpoles was exposed to a 0.004 g l −1 solution of gentamicin sulfate for 20 h, a concentration twice as potent as that used by Montgomery et al (1997) but for less than half the exposure time.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To examine the potentially reversible effects of cobalt treatment, a subset of these animals was tested again after a 1-week recovery time. A second group of tadpoles was exposed to streptomycin treatment, at the same concentration (0.13 g l −1 , pH 6.5) used by Lum et al (1982) in their studies of Xenopus schooling behavior. Animals were immersed for 1 h in this solution, and were rinsed off in distilled water for 1 min before testing.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A functioning lateral line system is necessary for regulating the geometry of tadpole schools (Katz et al 1981). If the neuromasts are pharmacologically blocked with streptomycin, tadpoles will position themselves closer to each other than they do under control conditions (Lum et al 1982). Shelton (1971) observed that Xenopus tadpoles orient towards a water current source, but concluded that this behavior was not mediated by the lateral line, as animals with severed lateral line nerves were "able to face the current in a normal fashion."…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Lateral line-mediated rheotactic behavior in tadpoles of the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis)

2004

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Tadpoles (Xenopus laevis) have a lateral line system whose anatomical structure has been described, but whose functional significance has not been closely examined. These experiments tested the hypothesis that the lateral line system is involved in rheotaxis. Tadpoles in developmental stages 47-56 oriented toward the source of a water current. Orientation was less precise after treatment with cobalt chloride or streptomycin, but was similar to that of untreated animals after exposure to gentamicin. In no current conditions, tadpoles exhibited a characteristic head-down posture by which they held themselves in the water column at an angle around 45°. This body posture became significantly less tilted in the presence of water current. Treatment with cobalt chloride or streptomycin increased the angle of tilt close to that seen in no current conditions, while gentamicin treatment tended to decrease tilt angle. The data are consistent with anatomical and physiological findings that tadpole neuromasts are similar to superficial, but not canal, neuromasts in fishes, and they suggest that the lateral line system is involved in both directional current detection and currentrelated postural adjustments in Xenopus.

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“…Electrophysiological techniques have been successfully employed in Xenopus to quantify network connectivity (Pratt and Aizenman, 2007; Li et al, 2009; Pratt and Aizenman, 2009; Straka and Simmers, 2012), synaptic maturation (Wu et al, 1996; Akerman and Cline, 2006; Aizenman and Cline, 2007; Deeg et al, 2009; Khakhalin and Aizenman, 2012), synaptic plasticity (Engert et al, 2002; Mu and Poo, 2006; Pratt et al, 2008; Tsui et al, 2010) and cell intrinsic properties (Aizenman et al, 2003; Pratt and Aizenman, 2007; Winlove and Roberts, 2011). The behaviors controlled by corresponding neural circuits, including several types of escape behaviors (Roberts et al, 2000; Wassersug and Yamashita, 2002; Dong et al, 2009; Sillar and Robertson, 2009), orienting reflexes (Pronych et al, 1996; Simmons et al, 2004; Straka, 2010) and social behaviors (Katz et al, 1981; Villinger and Waldman, 2012), have been well described, and can be experimentally manipulated (Lum et al, 1982; Jamieson and Roberts, 2000; Wassersug and Yamashita, 2002; Simmons et al, 2004; Dong et al, 2009; Straka, 2010). To sum up, these experimental approaches enable developing neural circuits to be examined at the molecular, cellular and behavioral levels – all in the same organism (Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling human neurodevelopmental disorders in theXenopustadpole: from mechanisms to therapeutic targets

Pratt

Khakhalin

2013

Disease Models &Amp; Mechanisms

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The Xenopus tadpole model offers many advantages for studying the molecular, cellular and network mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental disorders. Essentially every stage of normal neural circuit development, from axon outgrowth and guidance to activity-dependent homeostasis and refinement, has been studied in the frog tadpole, making it an ideal model to determine what happens when any of these stages are compromised. Recently, the tadpole model has been used to explore the mechanisms of epilepsy and autism, and there is mounting evidence to suggest that diseases of the nervous system involve deficits in the most fundamental aspects of nervous system function and development. In this Review, we provide an update on how tadpole models are being used to study three distinct types of neurodevelopmental disorders: diseases caused by exposure to environmental toxicants, epilepsy and seizure disorders, and autism.

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Schooling behavior of tadpoles: A potential indicator of ototoxicity

Cited by 17 publications

References 11 publications

Variability of Rheotaxis Behaviors in Larval Bullfrogs Highlights Species Diversity in Lateral Line Function

Variability of Rheotaxis Behaviors in Larval Bullfrogs Highlights Species Diversity in Lateral Line Function

Lateral line-mediated rheotactic behavior in tadpoles of the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis)

Modeling human neurodevelopmental disorders in theXenopustadpole: from mechanisms to therapeutic targets

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