Weakly electric fish as model systems for studying long-term steroid action on neural circuits.
Weakly electric fish generate electric organ discharges (EODs) that are species-specific and often sexually-dimorphic. The waveform or frequency of an EOD can be altered by treating a fish with sex steroid hormones. The EOD is controlled by a few discrete nuclei in the brainstem and spinal cord and a muscle-derived electric organ. The organizational simplicity and steroid-sensitivity of the electromotor system make it a premier system for investigating how sex steroids modulate behavior, neural circuitry, and ion channels. In addition, the diversity of EOD patterns in the many species of electric fish provide a wealth of material in which to examine the evolution of sexual dimorphisms in the nervous system.
Zakon
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Department of Zoology, University of Texas, Austin 78712.
D000818:Animals; D004555:Electric Fish / Q000502:physiology*; D004557:Electric Organ / Q000502:physiology*; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D008954:Models, Biological; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012733:Sex Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D015222:Sodium Channels / Q000502:physiology; D013045:Species Specificity
D015222:Sodium Channels