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Central representation of spatial and temporal surface wave parameters in the African clawed frog

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Abstract

Xenopus laevis employs mechano-sensory lateral lines to, for instance, capture arthropods on the surface of turbid waters with poor visibility based on incoming wave signals. To characterise central representations of surface waves emitted from different locations, responses to several wave parameters were extracellularly recorded across brainstem, midbrain and thalamic areas. Overall, 339 of 411 statistically analysed responses showed significantly altered spike rates during the presentation of surface waves. Of these units, 45.1 % were obtained in the torus semicircularis including its laminar subnucleus (23.3 %) that is known to process auditory cues. Wave parameters contributing to central object representations were indicated by response rates that systematically varied with amplitude (76.3 % of 160 tested units), frequency (74.4 % of 270 tested units), source angle (93.7 % of 79 tested units), or source distance (63.8 % of 218 tested units). Map-like parameter representations were rather diffuse, yet an increased fraction of units tuned to frontal source angles was observed at deeper tissue layers (>180 μm), and an increased fraction of best neuronal responses to low wave frequencies (≤25 Hz) at rostral midbrain sections. Responses to wave frequencies remained largely robust across tested unit samples independent of source angles, and distances (N = 62). In comparison, spatial response characteristics seemed fragile across different wave frequencies in 68.3 % of 41 recordings.

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Abbreviations

d:

Dorsal

DTEG:

Dorsal tegmentum

F const :

Constant-frequency wave

F mod :

Frequency-modulated wave

l:

Lateral

LL:

Lateral line

m:

Medial

MED:

Medulla

MES:

Mesencephalon

OT:

Optic tectum

SEM:

Standard error of the mean

TL:

Torus semicircularis laminaris

TM:

Torus semicircularis magnocellularis

TP:

Torus semicircularis principalis

TS:

Torus semicircularis

v:

Ventral

VS:

Vector strength

VTEG:

Ventral tegmentum

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Acknowledgments

Supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG; BE 3755/1-1; O. Behrend; F. Branoner), the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF; O. Behrend), the Bernstein Center for Computational Neurosciences Berlin (BCCN; U. Ziehm), and the Nachwuchsförderungsgesetz Berlin (NaFöG; Z. Zhivkov). We are indebted to U. Schneeweiss and A. Elepfandt for technical and instrumental support. Experiments were approved by the Landesamt für Gesundheit und Soziales Berlin, and comply with the principles of animal care (publication no. 86–23, revised 1985, of the National Institute of Health).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biology, Humboldt University, Invalidenstr. 43, 10115, Berlin, Germany

    Francisco Branoner, Zhivko Zhivkov, Ulrike Ziehm & Oliver Behrend

  2. Division of Neurobiology, Department Biology II, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Großhaderner Str. 2, 82152, Martinsried, Germany

    Francisco Branoner & Ulrike Ziehm

  3. Munich Center for Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Großhaderner Str. 2, 82152, Martinsried, Germany

    Oliver Behrend

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  1. Francisco Branoner
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  2. Zhivko Zhivkov
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  4. Oliver Behrend
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Correspondence to Oliver Behrend.

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Branoner, F., Zhivkov, Z., Ziehm, U. et al. Central representation of spatial and temporal surface wave parameters in the African clawed frog. J Comp Physiol A 198, 797–815 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-012-0749-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-012-0749-7

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