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New brain map to explain how cuttlefish camouflage themselves

New brain map to explain how cuttlefish camouflage themselves

Thu, 26/01/2023 - 18:16
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Researchers have developed a brain map that explains how cuttlefish camouflage themselves.

Neuroscientists at Queensland Brain Institute have created, for the first time, a detailed outline of the brain structure and neuronal network of the cuttlefish.

Findings of their research was published in the iScience journal.

Since the current understanding of the cuttlefish’s brain has been based on just the nocturnal European common cuttlefish species, the research team wanted to expand the research to include selected cuttlefish that are active during the day, and to compare with other species from the Mediterranean and Indo-Pacific regions.

By using gross anatomy and MRI, the researchers tracked the changes in the visual and learning brain regions of different cuttlefish species to construct a connectivity of the brain.

 

“What we discovered was the neuronal network which involved chemosensory function and body patterning control, which enables the cuttlefish to use in foraging and its camouflage,” said lead author Dr Wen-Sung Chung, from QBI’s Marshall Lab.

They also discovered that the brain adaptions depended on the requirements of their life regarding ecology and habitats.

According to Dr Chung, “this research adds to our growing understanding of the cuttlefish brain along with our recent discoveries in the brains of octopus and squid.” He added that the brain structures might be msed to investigate the evolutionary history of cephalopods.

Sources
iScience
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