Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Neural Circuit Recording from an Intact Cockroach Nervous System

Neural Circuit Recording from an Intact Cockroach Nervous System

Published on: November 4, 2013

Static electric field detection and behavioural avoidance in cockroaches.

Philip L Newland¹, Edmund Hunt, Suleiman M Sharkh

¹School of Biological Sciences, Biomedical Science Building, University of Southampton, Bassett Crescent East, Southampton SO16 7PX, UK. pln@soton.ac.uk

The Journal of Experimental Biology

|November 18, 2008

Summary

Cockroaches avoid static electric fields by detecting antennal deflection. Ablating antennae or preventing antennal movement abolishes this avoidance behavior, revealing sensory mechanisms.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Advancing behavioural guidance systems to help conserve the European eel (Anguilla anguilla).

Scientific reports·2026

Same author

Age-related decline in nuclear envelope LINC complex drives neuronal aging via axon initial segment dysfunction.

EMBO reports·2026

Same author

AAV-based gene therapy ameliorates neurological deficits in a mouse model of childhood-onset neurodegeneration with cerebellar atrophy.

Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy·2025

Same author

Inference technique for the synaptic conductances in rhythmically active networks and application to respiratory central pattern generation circuits.

eLife·2025

Same author

Laying the foundations for selective-fish guidance using electricity: multi-species response to pulsed direct currents.

PeerJ·2024

Same author

Inference technique for the synaptic conductances in rhythmically active networks and application to respiratory central pattern generation circuits.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2024

Area of Science:

Zoology
Sensory Neuroscience
Bioelectromagnetics

Background:

Electric fields are ubiquitous in natural and anthropogenic environments.
Understanding animal responses to electric fields is crucial for ecological and safety assessments.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate cockroach behavior in response to static electric fields.
To elucidate the physiological mechanisms underlying electric field detection and avoidance in cockroaches.

Main Methods:

Behavioral assays using a Y-choice chamber to test avoidance responses.
Surgical ablation of antennae and fixation of antennal joints to assess sensory roles.
Development of a magnetic field-based method for electrophysiological analysis of antennal deflection.

More Related Videos

Extracellular Wire Tetrode Recording in Brain of Freely Walking Insects

Extracellular Wire Tetrode Recording in Brain of Freely Walking Insects

Published on: April 1, 2014

Drosophila Passive Avoidance Behavior as a New Paradigm to Study Associative Aversive Learning

Drosophila Passive Avoidance Behavior as a New Paradigm to Study Associative Aversive Learning

Published on: October 15, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Neural Circuit Recording from an Intact Cockroach Nervous System

Neural Circuit Recording from an Intact Cockroach Nervous System

Published on: November 4, 2013

Extracellular Wire Tetrode Recording in Brain of Freely Walking Insects

Extracellular Wire Tetrode Recording in Brain of Freely Walking Insects

Published on: April 1, 2014

Drosophila Passive Avoidance Behavior as a New Paradigm to Study Associative Aversive Learning

Drosophila Passive Avoidance Behavior as a New Paradigm to Study Associative Aversive Learning

Published on: October 15, 2021

Main Results:

Cockroaches exhibited significant avoidance of electric fields above 8-10 kV m(-1).
Antennal ablation abolished electric field avoidance, implicating antennae in detection.
Sensory hair plates at the antennal scape base were identified as primary receptors for electric fields.

Conclusions:

Cockroaches detect static electric fields via mechanosensory receptors in their antennae.
Antennal deflection serves as the primary cue for electric field avoidance in cockroaches.
Findings provide insights into insect sensory biology and potential impacts of electric fields, such as near high-voltage power lines.