Neuroanatomy of Magnetoreception: The Superior Colliculus Involved in Magnetic Orientation in a Mammal

Němec, Pavel; Altmann, Jens; Marhold, S.; Burda, Hynek; Oelschläger, Helmut

doi:10.1126/science.1063351

Cited by 117 publications

(78 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…At least for subterranean mole-rats (5,(32)(33)(34) and bats (10,35), there is evidence for the magnetite-based polarity compass. However, whether these properties can be generalized to other mammals remains unclear.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields disrupt magnetic alignment of ruminants

Burda

Begall

Červený

et al. 2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Resting and grazing cattle and deer tend to align their body axes in the geomagnetic North-South direction. The mechanism(s) that underlie this behavior remain unknown. Here, we show that extremely low-frequency magnetic fields (ELFMFs) generated by high-voltage power lines disrupt alignment of the bodies of these animals with the geomagnetic field. Body orientation of cattle and roe deer was random on pastures under or near power lines. Moreover, cattle exposed to various magnetic fields directly beneath or in the vicinity of power lines trending in various magnetic directions exhibited distinct patterns of alignment. The disturbing effect of the ELFMFs on body alignment diminished with the distance from conductors. These findings constitute evidence for magnetic sensation in large mammals as well as evidence of an overt behavioral reaction to weak ELFMFs in vertebrates. The demonstrated reaction to weak ELFMFs implies effects at the cellular and molecular levels.cattle ͉ magnetoreception ͉ roe deer ͉ power lines

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields disrupt magnetic alignment of ruminants

Burda

Begall

Červený

et al. 2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…Another blind fossorial mammal, the star-nosed mole, has a superior colliculus completely dominated by somatosensation in the form of a well-ordered map of body surface (Crish et al, 2003c). In addition, the SC in Ansell's mole-rat has been linked to magnetoreception (Nemec et al, 2001). Although no evidence of this sense has been reported in naked mole-rats, it has not yet been systematically examined.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Central visual system of the naked mole‐rat (Heterocephalus glaber)

Crish

Catania

2006

Anat. Rec.

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Naked mole-rats are fossorial rodents native to eastern Africa that spend their lives in extensive subterranean burrows where visual cues are poor. Not surprisingly, they have a degenerated eye and optic nerve, suggesting they have poor visual abilities. However, little is known about their central visual system. To investigate the organization of their central visual system, we injected a neuronal tracer into the eyes of naked mole-rats and mice to compare the neural structures mediating vision. We found that the superior colliculus and lateral geniculate nucleus were severely atrophied in the naked mole-rat. The olivary pretectal nucleus was reduced but still retained its characteristic morphology, possibly indicating a role in light detection. In addition, the suprachiasmatic nucleus is well innervated and resembles the same structure in other rodents. The naked mole-rat appears to have selectively lost structures that mediate form vision while retaining structures needed for minimal entrainment of circadian rhythms. Similar results have been reported for other mole-rat species. Taken together, these data suggest that light detection may still play an important role in the lives of these "blind" animals: most likely for circadian entrainment or setting seasonal rhythms. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Key words: brain; evolution; vision; superior colliculus; eye; blind A well-developed visual system is metabolically costly, so one would expect a reduction in the visual systems of subterranean rodents where light levels are minimal. However, animals with occasional access to the surface can make use of brief light exposure for setting circadian and seasonal rhythms. Studies of both Ansell's mole-rat (Cryptomys anselli) and the blind mole-rat (Spalax ehrenbergi) have revealed severe atrophy of many of the structures involved in form vision, yet some of the structures involved in other types of light detection appear unchanged. This has led to the suggestion that light cues are still used to mediate aspects of behavior in at least some fossorial species (Cooper et al., 1993;Nemec et al., 2004).Naked mole-rats ( Fig. 1) are fossorial rodents from eastern Africa in the same family (Bathyergidae) as Ansell's mole-rat. Naked mole-rats live underground in large eusocial colonies with division of labor and separate castes that have different social, morphological, and behavioral characteristics. Only a few colony members are reproductively active, which results in a high level of genetic similarity in the colony due to inbreeding (Jarvis, 1981).In addition to social and physiological adaptations to life underground, mole-rats exhibit several sensory modifications. Sound attenuates rapidly underground, and presumably because of this environmental constraint, molerats have degraded hearing with poor sound localization abilities (Heffner and Heffner, 1993;Brittan-Powell et al., 2001). However, naked mole-rats are somatosensory specialists with a novel array of somatic vibrissae for guiding orienting behavior (Crish et al...

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“…In some species, specialized spatial senses such as infrared and magneto-and electrosenses and echolocation send topographically organized inputs to the SC (8,(36)(37)(38). Within a species, the sensory topographic maps in different layers of the SC are superposed, meaning specific regions of space are represented by similar points in each overlaid sensory map (39).…”

Section: How the Vertebrate Midbrain Supports The Capacity For Subjecmentioning

confidence: 99%

What insects can tell us about the origins of consciousness

Barron

Klein

2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

222

167

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How, why, and when consciousness evolved remain hotly debated topics. Addressing these issues requires considering the distribution of consciousness across the animal phylogenetic tree. Here we propose that at least one invertebrate clade, the insects, has a capacity for the most basic aspect of consciousness: subjective experience. In vertebrates the capacity for subjective experience is supported by integrated structures in the midbrain that create a neural simulation of the state of the mobile animal in space. This integrated and egocentric representation of the world from the animal's perspective is sufficient for subjective experience. Structures in the insect brain perform analogous functions. Therefore, we argue the insect brain also supports a capacity for subjective experience. In both vertebrates and insects this form of behavioral control system evolved as an efficient solution to basic problems of sensory reafference and true navigation. The brain structures that support subjective experience in vertebrates and insects are very different from each other, but in both cases they are basal to each clade. Hence we propose the origins of subjective experience can be traced to the Cambrian. subjective experience | primary consciousness | vertebrate midbrain | central complex

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Neuroanatomy of Magnetoreception: The Superior Colliculus Involved in Magnetic Orientation in a Mammal

Cited by 117 publications

References 22 publications

Extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields disrupt magnetic alignment of ruminants

Extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields disrupt magnetic alignment of ruminants

Central visual system of the naked mole‐rat (Heterocephalus glaber)

What insects can tell us about the origins of consciousness

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