Telencephalic neuronal activation associated with spatial memory in the terrestrial toad, Rhinella arenarum: Participation of the medial pallium during navigation by geometry
Amphibians are central to discussions of vertebrate evolutionbecause they represent the transition from aquatic toterrestrial life, a transition with profound consequences forthe selective pressures shaping brain evolution. Spatial navigationis one class of behavior that has attracted the interestof...
| Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | article |
| Status: | Published version |
| Publication Date: | 2016 |
| Country: | Argentina |
| Institution: | Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas |
| Repository: | CONICET Digital (CONICET) |
| Language: | English |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/108066 |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/11336/108066 |
| Access Level: | Open access |
| Keyword: | GEOMETRIC AND FEATURE ORIENTATION SPATIAL LEARNING NEURONAL ACTIVATION MEDIAL AND LATERAL PALLIA https://purl.org/becyt/ford/5.1 https://purl.org/becyt/ford/5 |
| Summary: | Amphibians are central to discussions of vertebrate evolutionbecause they represent the transition from aquatic toterrestrial life, a transition with profound consequences forthe selective pressures shaping brain evolution. Spatial navigationis one class of behavior that has attracted the interestof comparative neurobiologists because of the relevance ofthe medial pallium/hippocampus, yet, surprisingly, in this regardamphibians have been sparsely investigated. In the currentstudy, we trained toads to locate a water goal relying onthe boundary geometry of a test environment (GeometryOnly)or boundary geometry coupled with a prominent, visualfeature cue (Geometry-Feature). Once learning hadbeen achieved, the animals were given one last training sessionand their telencephali were processed for c-Fos activation.Compared to control toads exposed to the test environmentfor the first time, geometry-only toads were found to have increased neuronal labeling in the medial pallium, thepresumptive hippocampal homologue, while geometry-featuretoads were found to have increased neuronal labelingin the medial, dorsal, and lateral pallia. The data indicate medialpallial participation in guiding navigation by environmentalgeometry and lateral, and to a lesser extent dorsal,pallial participation in guiding navigation by a prominent visualfeature. As such, participation of the medial pallium/hippocampus in spatial cognition appears to be a conservedfeature of terrestrial vertebrates even if their life history is stilltied to water, a brain-behavior feature seemingly at least asancient as the evolutionary transition to life on land. |
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