Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
6266927 Current Opinion in Neurobiology 2014 9 Pages PDF
Abstract
The active electrosense of weakly electric fish is evolutionarily and developmentally related to passive electrosensation and the lateral line system. It shows the most highly differentiated topographic maps of the receptor array of all these senses. It is organized into three maps in the hindbrain that are, in turn, composed of columns, each consisting of six pyramidal cell classes. The cells in each column have different spatiotemporal processing properties yielding a total of 18 topographic representations of the body surface. The differential filtering by the hindbrain maps is used by superimposed maps in the multi-layered midbrain electrosensory region to extract specific stimulus features related to communication and foraging. At levels beyond the midbrain, topographic mapping of the body surface appears to be lost.
Related Topics
Life Sciences Neuroscience Neuroscience (General)
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