Brain pathways and behavioral responses to weak electric fields in parasitic sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus)

The authors characterized the behavioral and brain responses of parasitic sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) to weak electric fields. Lampreys showed preferences for the cathodal end of the testing aquarium after electric stimulation. Within a range of cathodal fields (-0.1 to -30.0 mu-V/cm), lampreys exhibited increased active behaviors. In contrast, anodal fields decreased most active behaviors below baseline. Exposure to electric fields resulted in changes in Western blot patterns for the neuronal activity markers Fos, Fos-B. and Jun in whole-brain homogenate. Electric stimulation also increased Fos-B immunoreactivity in the octavolateral and the habenula-fasciculus retroflexus-interpeduncular systems. These results confirm that the octavolateral system is associated with electroreception and suggest that the habenula-fasciculus retroflexus-interpeduncular system may be pan of the electroreceptive network.