Visual Prey Capture in Larval Zebrafish Is Controlled by Identified Reticulospinal Neurons Downstream of the Tectum

Gahtan, Ethan; Tanger, Paul; Baier, Herwig

doi:10.1523/jneurosci.2678-05.2005

Cited by 310 publications

(354 citation statements)

References 43 publications

(53 reference statements)

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“…The retina of Betta splendens was formed (with seven layers) within 4 days and similar reports were observed on zebrafish (Danio rerio) (Gahtan et al, 2005) and catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) (Mukai et al, 2010). While, Oliveira and Sa (2012) have reported that the eye of B. splendens is strongly pigmented at hatching, other study claim that at this stage the eyes of B. splendens are undifferentiated and only slightly pigmented (Valentin et al, 2013).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Initial Feeding Behaviour, Eye Structure and Effect of Colours on Prey Capture Rates of Betta splendens Larvae

Nascimento¹,

Valentin²,

Pereira-Santos³

et al. 2015

J. of Fisheries and Aquatic Science

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Basic studies on early morphology and behaviour are necessary to support applied research on larval rearing. Thus, the aim of this study was to analyze the initial feeding behaviour, eye structure and the influence of different background colours (red, blue and clear) on prey capture rates (Artemia sp.) of Betta splendens larvae. The retina was formed by 90 h post-fertilization and consisted of seven layers. The feeding behaviour of the larvae changed with ocular development and thus, prey were captured more efficiently with time. No significant difference (p>0.05) was observed between the different background colours on prey capture rates under the experimental conditions tested (10 min of exposure). In conclusion, B. splendens larvae displayed a typical feeding behaviour, which changed with larval development and was dependent on visual ontogeny. Even though the different background colours did not significantly affect feeding behaviour, our findings provide important insights for future studies on this field.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Initial Feeding Behaviour, Eye Structure and Effect of Colours on Prey Capture Rates of Betta splendens Larvae

Nascimento¹,

Valentin²,

Pereira-Santos³

et al. 2015

J. of Fisheries and Aquatic Science

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“…The discrete organization that we see, which differs from previously observed distributed activity 4,18,30 , is made apparent by the ability to evoke simple motor patterns with controlled visual stimulation. The fact that more complex behaviors are associated with distributed activation of many neurons is consistent with a model in which subsets of neurons initiate distinct components of the behavior 31,32 .Additional evidence for a distributed motor command has come from a number of studies that found that ablations do not abolish specific behaviors, although they can alter their latency and kinematics 16,17,[33][34][35] . Here, an ablation guided by an observed functional organization was able to completely abolish a specific behavior; optomotor turns in one direction were specifically eliminated by ablation of the small number of cells responsive to turn-evoking stimuli.…”

mentioning

confidence: 54%

“…Additional evidence for a distributed motor command has come from a number of studies that found that ablations do not abolish specific behaviors, although they can alter their latency and kinematics 16,17,[33][34][35] . Here, an ablation guided by an observed functional organization was able to completely abolish a specific behavior; optomotor turns in one direction were specifically eliminated by ablation of the small number of cells responsive to turn-evoking stimuli.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Control of visually guided behavior by distinct populations of spinal projection neurons

et al. 2008

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A basic question in the field of motor control is how different actions are represented by activity in spinal projection neurons. We used a new behavioral assay to identify visual stimuli that specifically drive basic motor patterns in zebrafish. These stimuli evoked consistent patterns of neural activity in the neurons projecting to the spinal cord, which we could map throughout the entire population using in vivo two-photon calcium imaging. We found that stimuli that drive distinct behaviors activated distinct subsets of projection neurons, consisting, in some cases, of just a few cells. This stands in contrast to the distributed activation seen for more complex behaviors. Furthermore, targeted cell by cell ablations of the neurons associated with evoked turns abolished the corresponding behavioral response. This description of the functional organization of the zebrafish motor system provides a framework for identifying the complete circuit underlying a vertebrate behavior.In a behaving animal, the brain communicates its intentions to muscles via the pattern of activity in descending projection neurons 1 . In vertebrates, these cells respond to the detection and processing of sensory stimuli and transmit their motor command to the local networks of the spinal cord, which in turn initiate and coordinate muscle contraction 2 . A fundamental question in neuroscience is how the commands that initiate behaviors are encoded in the activation of these projection neurons 3-5 .The spinal projection system of fish provides an excellent model for studying this code 6 . A diverse range of swimming behaviors can be seen in 6-d-old zebrafish 7-9 that are mediated by a descending projection to the spinal cord consisting of fewer than 300 neurons 10,11 . These neurons are easily labeled with fluorescent indicators 12 , optically accessible with modern imaging techniques and arranged in a stereotyped pattern such that the same cells or groups of cells can easily be identified from one fish to the next 13 . These neurons are morphologically diverse, with distinct dendritic fields and axonal projection patterns 13,14 , suggesting that they serve different behavioral functions. Nevertheless, determining how differing patterns of activity in these spinal projection neurons produce different motor outputs has proved to be difficult. 23,24 , the actual command is encoded in distributed activity throughout the population of control neurons 2 .The swimming behaviors of zebrafish, including the complex sequence of turns and swims that make up the escape response, can be broken down into basic kinematic elements 8 . It is possible that the motor commands for these basic behaviors originate from distinct populations of neurons, which when combined would appear as a `distributed command'. We found that whole-field visual motion, with the direction dynamically locked to the fish's body axis, is able to selectively evoke some of these basic swim patterns. Calcium imaging of stimulus-evoked responses in the complete population of n...

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“…Subpopulations of RSNs located in discrete brainstem regions are recruited in the control of different components of sensorimotor integration (Dampney, 1994;Ullén et al, 1997;Orlovsky et al, 1999;Fagerstedt et al, 2001;Yeomans et al, 2002;Dubuc et al, 2008). In teleost fish, lesion experiments and imaging of neuronal activity suggest that subpopulations of RSNs in midbrain and hindbrain are important for control of visual prey capture (Gahtan et al, 2005), fast escape (see below), and optomotor response (Orger et al, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Initiation of Mauthner- or Non-Mauthner-Mediated Fast Escape Evoked by Different Modes of Sensory Input

Kohashi

Oda²

2008

J. Neurosci.

176

204

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Brainstem reticulospinal neurons (RSNs) serve as the major descending system in vertebrate sensorimotor integration. One of the paired RSNs in zebrafish, the Mauthner (M) cell, is thought to initiate fast escape from sudden noxious stimuli. Two other paired RSNs, morphologically homologous to the M-cell, are also suggested to play key roles in controlling fast escape. However, the relationship among activities of the M-cell and its homologs during fast escape and the sensory inputs that elicit escape via their activation are unclear. We have monitored hindbrain RSN activity simultaneously with tail flip movement during fast escape in zebrafish. Confocal calcium imaging of RSNs was performed on larvae rostrally embedded in agar but with their tails allowed to move freely. Application of a pulsed waterjet to the otic vesicle (OV) to activate acousticovestibular input elicited contralateral fast tail flips with short latency and an apparent Ca 2ϩ increase, reflecting a single action potential, in the ipsilateral M-cell (M-escape). Application of waterjet to head skin for tactile stimulation elicited fast escapes, but onset was delayed and the M-cell did not fire (non-M-escape). After eliminating either the M-cell or OV, only non-M-escape was initiated. Simultaneous high-speed confocal imaging of the M-cell and one of its homologs, MiD3cm, revealed complementary activation during fast escape: MiD3cm activity was low during M-escape but high during non-M-escape. These results suggest that M-cell firing is necessary for fast escape with short latency elicited by acousticovestibular input and that MiD3cm is more involved in non-M-escape driven by head-tactile input.

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Visual Prey Capture in Larval Zebrafish Is Controlled by Identified Reticulospinal Neurons Downstream of the Tectum

Cited by 310 publications

References 43 publications

Initial Feeding Behaviour, Eye Structure and Effect of Colours on Prey Capture Rates of Betta splendens Larvae

Initial Feeding Behaviour, Eye Structure and Effect of Colours on Prey Capture Rates of Betta splendens Larvae

Control of visually guided behavior by distinct populations of spinal projection neurons

Initiation of Mauthner- or Non-Mauthner-Mediated Fast Escape Evoked by Different Modes of Sensory Input

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