Duration of strike-induced chemosensory searching in cottonmouths (Agkistrodon piscivorus) and a test of the hypothesis that striking prey creates a specific search image

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 1057-1061 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Chiszar ◽  
Charles W. Radcliffe ◽  
Roy Overstreet ◽  
Thomas Poole ◽  
Thomas Byers
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Searching Behavior ◽  
Vomeronasal System ◽  
Fish Prey ◽  
Agkistrodon Piscivorus ◽  
Search Image ◽  
Chemically Induced ◽  
Rodent Prey ◽  
Tongue Flicks ◽  
Specific Search

Cottonmouths (Agkistrodon piscivorus) emitted significantly more tongue flicks after striking rodent prey than after seeing, smelling, and (or) detecting thermal cues from rodent prey. This strike-induced chemosensory searching (SICS) persisted for about 70 min. Prey-derived molecules acquired during the strike would not be expected to remain available to the vomeronasal organs for more than 10 min. Hence, the duration of SICS suggests (i) that a central nervous system (CNS) representation of prey is formed as a consequence of the strike and (ii) that this representation or search image has memorylike properties and remains available to guide searching behavior for a longer time than would be expected on the basis of poststrike residuation of chemically induced afference in the vomeronasal system. In experiment II, cottonmouths struck either rodent or fish prey (which were removed immediately after the strike) and 10 min later the snakes were allowed to ingest either a fish or a mouse. When the prey offered for ingestion was the same type as the prey struck, snakes grasped their prey quickly, whereas, in all other conditions, only a few snakes responded quickly and others did so after much longer latencies. It is proposed that CNS representations of fish and mice have some nonoverlapping features and that a disposition to grasp the type of prey that was initially struck endures until these prey-specific features have degraded (presumably through the ordinary process of forgetting).

Do lingual behaviors and locomotion by two gekkotan lizards after experimental loss of bitten prey indicate chemosensory search?

1996 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 217-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher S. DePerno ◽  
William E. Cooper ◽  
Laura J. Steele
Keyword(s):  
Vomeronasal System ◽  
Foraging Mode ◽  
Gekko Gecko ◽  
Leopard Gecko ◽  
Prey Chemicals ◽  
Chemical Discrimination ◽  
Tokay Gecko ◽  
Tongue Flicking ◽  
Ambush Foraging ◽  
Tongue Flicks

AbstractPoststrike elevation in tongue-flicking rate (PETF) and strike-induced chemosensory searching (SICS) were assessed experimentally in two species of gekkonoid lizards belonging to families differing in foraging mode. PETF is an increase in rate of lingual protrusions after a prey item has been bitten and escapes or is removed from the mouth of a squamate reptile, whereas SICS is PETF combined with locomotory searching behavior. Eublepharis mucularius, the leopard gecko, is an actively, albeit slowly, foraging eublepharid. This species exhibited PETF for a duration of about five minutes based on total lingual protrusions. Labial-licks were initially much more frequent than tongue-flicks. A substantial increase in movement occurred during minutes 5-8, hinting that SICS might be present, but was not quite significant. SICS is likely present, as in other actively foraging lizards, but was not conclusively demonstrated. Handling the lizards induced increased locomotion in both the experimental condition and a control condition, presumably accounting for the apparent delay in onset of increased movement. The tokay gecko, Gekko gecko, a gekkonid ambush forager, performed no tongue-flicks, but exhibited PETF based on labial-licks during the first minute. SICS was absent. These findings support the hypothesis that SICS is absent in ambush foraging lizards, which do not use the lingual-vomeronasal system to search for prey. They are suggestive, but equivocal regarding the hypothesis that SICS is present in actively foraging lizards that exhibit lingually mediated prey chemical discrimination. The finding of PETF in G. gecko suggests that this species and several iguanians previously found to increase rates of labial-licking after biting prey may be able to detect prey chemicals.

Envenomated-invertebrate prey preference of the viperid Agkistrodon contortrix during strike-induced chemosensory searching

2004 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-172
Author(s):  
Eli Greenbaum ◽  
Michael Jorgensen
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Prey Preference ◽  
Relative Order ◽  
Venom Protein ◽  
Invertebrate Prey ◽  
Agkistrodon Contortrix ◽  
Rodent Prey ◽  
Observed Behaviour ◽  
Tongue Flicks ◽  
Important Stimulus

AbstractMany crotaline snakes exhibit envenomated-prey preference in laboratory experiments. We examined the ability of copperheads (Agkistrodon contortrix) to distinguish between envenomated and nonenvenomated tobacco hornworm larvae (Manduca sexta). Snakes directed significantly more tongue flicks at envenomated hornworms than at nonenvenomated hornworms, and snakes consumed envenomated hornworms more frequently than nonenvenomated prey. These results support the hypothesis that envenomated tissue is an important stimulus to copperheads during strike-induced chemosensory searching. Copperheads preferred hornworms envenomated by conspecifics in the relative order: Louisiana > Texas > Kansas; this preference matches the relative order of preference and venom potency documented in a previous study of copperheads for envenomated mice. We conclude that the venom protein-prey tissue interaction responsible for the observed behaviour is similar in both invertebrate and rodent prey items.

scholarly journals An assay for chemical nociception in Drosophila larvae

2019 ◽  
Vol 374 (1785) ◽  
pp. 20190282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Lopez-Bellido ◽  
Nathaniel J. Himmel ◽  
Howard B. Gutstein ◽  
Daniel N. Cox ◽  
Michael J. Galko
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Sensory Neurons ◽  
Molecular Genetic ◽  
Cellular Level ◽  
Resolving Power ◽  
Chemically Induced ◽  
Drosophila Larvae ◽  
Basic Understanding ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Class Iv

Chemically induced nociception has not yet been studied intensively in genetically tractable models. Hence, our goal was to establish a Drosophila assay that can be used to study the cellular and molecular/genetic bases of chemically induced nociception. Drosophila larvae exposed to increasing concentrations of hydrochloric acid (HCl) produced an increasingly intense aversive rolling response. HCl (0.5%) was subthreshold and provoked no response. All classes of peripheral multidendritic (md) sensory neurons (classes I–IV) are required for full responsiveness to acid, with class IV making the largest contribution. At the cellular level, classes IV, III and I showed increases in calcium following acid exposure. In the central nervous system, Basin-4 second-order neurons are the key regulators of chemically induced nociception, with a slight contribution from other types. Finally, chemical nociception can be sensitized by tissue damage. Subthreshold HCl provoked chemical allodynia in larvae 4 h after physical puncture wounding. Pinch wounding and UV irradiation, which do not compromise the cuticle, did not cause chemical allodynia. In sum, we developed a novel assay to study chemically induced nociception in Drosophila larvae. This assay, combined with the high genetic resolving power of Drosophila, should improve our basic understanding of fundamental mechanisms of chemical nociception. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue ‘Evolution of mechanisms and behaviour important for pain’.

scholarly journals Synthesis and Cytoprotective Characterization of 8-Hydroxyquinoline Betti Products

Molecules ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (8) ◽  
pp. 1934 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iván Kanizsai ◽  
Ramóna Madácsi ◽  
László Hackler ◽  
Márió Gyuris ◽  
Gábor J. Szebeni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Gene Expression Analysis ◽  
Aromatic Aldehydes ◽  
Primary Amines ◽  
Metal Chelation ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Cytoprotective Activity ◽  
Chemically Induced

The 8-hydroxyquinoline pharmacophore scaffold has been shown to possess a range of activities as metal chelation, enzyme inhibition, cytotoxicity, and cytoprotection. Based on our previous findings we set out to optimize the scaffold for cytoprotective activity for its potential application in central nervous system related diseases. A 48-membered Betti-library was constructed by the utilization of formic acid mediated industrial-compatible coupling with sets of aromatic primary amines such as anilines, oxazoles, pyridines, and pyrimidines, with (hetero)aromatic aldehydes and 8-hydroxiquinoline derivatives. After column chromatography and re-crystallization, the corresponding analogues were obtained in yields of 13–90%. The synthesized analogs were optimized with the utilization of a cytoprotection assay with chemically induced oxidative stress, and the most active compounds were further tested in orthogonal assays, a real time cell viability method, a fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS)-based assay measuring mitochondrial membrane potential changes, and gene expression analysis. The best candidates showed potent, nanomolar activity in all test systems and support the need for future studies in animal models of central nervous system (CNS) disorders.

Neurotropic enteroviruses co-opt “fair-weather-friend” commensal gut microbiota to drive host infection and central nervous system disturbances

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin B. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Gut Bacteria ◽  
Infection Cycle ◽  
Fair Weather ◽  
Host Health ◽  
Microbe Interactions ◽  
Animal Hosts ◽  
Host Infection ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Conditions

Abstract Some neurotropic enteroviruses hijack Trojan horse/raft commensal gut bacteria to render devastating biomimicking cryptic attacks on human/animal hosts. Such virus-microbe interactions manipulate hosts’ gut-brain axes with accompanying infection-cycle-optimizing central nervous system (CNS) disturbances, including severe neurodevelopmental, neuromotor, and neuropsychiatric conditions. Co-opted bacteria thus indirectly influence host health, development, behavior, and mind as possible “fair-weather-friend” symbionts, switching from commensal to context-dependent pathogen-like strategies benefiting gut-bacteria fitness.

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