Spatial navigation in amphibians: Hippocampal encoding of space based on conspecific vocalizations.

SOTELO, M. I., BINGMAN, V. P. & MUZIO, R. N.

Brisbane

Congreso; International Congress of Neuroethology 2018; 2018

International Society for Neuroethology

How do amphibians, and toads specifically, navigate? How do they findwater and breeding ponds? To address these questions in a controlled laboratorysetting, we trained eight naïve, partially dehydrated toads (Rhinella arenarum) to look for a water rewardin a plus maze. A recorded, con-specific male call was the only cue present tosignal the location of the goal (either on the rewarded arm of the maze or inthe opposite arm). Animals were able to learn the task in six days andsubsequent test trials showed that they were using the con-specific call tolocate the goal. C-Fos analysis of brain activity following the lastexperimental trials showed that the posterior zone of the hippocampal formationof the trained toads had more Fos+ labelled neurons compared to controls. Ourresults support the hypothesis that sound can be used by Rhinella arenarum to locate a goal, such as a breeding pond, andthe hippocampus is involved at some level in the expression of this learnedspatial behavior.