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Brain regions for sound processing and song release in a small grasshopper
Mit Balvantray Bhavsar1, Andreas Stumpner1, Ralf Heinrich1
1University of Göttingen, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, Department of Cellular Neurobiology, Julia Lermontowa-Weg 3, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany.
Journal of Insect Physiology
|March 14, 2017
Summary
Female grasshoppers initiate response songs by processing auditory cues in specific brain regions. Electrical stimulation in the lateral protocerebrum and central complex successfully triggered species-typical stridulation, indicating their role in auditory-motor communication.
Area of Science:
- Neuroethology
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Insect Communication
Background:
- Bidirectional acoustic communication in grasshoppers involves sound perception, recognition, and motor command initiation.
- The species Chorthippus biguttulus engages in male-female acoustic duets requiring complex neural processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate brain regions involved in processing auditory information for initiating female grasshopper response songs.
- To understand the sensory-to-motor pathways underlying acoustic communication in Chorthippus biguttulus.
Main Methods:
- Simultaneous recordings of neural activity using multielectrodes in response to auditory stimuli.
- Electrical stimulation of identified brain regions (neuropils) to elicit behavioral responses.
- Analysis of auditory activity in the lateral protocerebrum, superior medial protocerebrum, and central complex.
Main Results:
- Auditory activity was detected in the lateral protocerebrum, superior medial protocerebrum, and central complex.
- Electrical stimulation in the lateral protocerebrum, central complex, and deuto-/tritocerebrum elicited species-typical stridulation.
- The superior medial protocerebrum did not elicit stridulation upon stimulation, despite showing auditory activity.
Conclusions:
- Two brain regions, the lateral protocerebrum and central complex, are likely involved in initiating grasshopper songs.
- Auditory processing for song initiation involves specific neuropils within the grasshopper brain.
- Neural responses to attractive stimuli did not strongly correlate with behavioral responses, suggesting complex processing.
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