Importance of magnetic information for neuronal plasticity in desert ants.

Autor:	Grob R; Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7034 Trondheim, Norway.; Division of Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), Biocenter, University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany., Müller VL; Division of Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), Biocenter, University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany., Grübel K; Division of Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), Biocenter, University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany., Rössler W; Division of Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), Biocenter, University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany., Fleischmann PN; Division of Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), Biocenter, University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany.; Department V - School of Mathematics and Science, Institute of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America [Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A] 2024 Feb 20; Vol. 121 (8), pp. e2320764121. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Feb 12.
DOI:	10.1073/pnas.2320764121
Abstrakt:	Many animal species rely on the Earth's magnetic field during navigation, but where in the brain magnetic information is processed is still unknown. To unravel this, we manipulated the natural magnetic field at the nest entrance of Cataglyphis desert ants and investigated how this affects relevant brain regions during early compass calibration. We found that manipulating the Earth's magnetic field has profound effects on neuronal plasticity in two sensory integration centers. Magnetic field manipulations interfere with a typical look-back behavior during learning walks of naive ants. Most importantly, structural analyses in the ants' neuronal compass (central complex) and memory centers (mushroom bodies) demonstrate that magnetic information affects neuronal plasticity during early visual learning. This suggests that magnetic information does not only serve as a compass cue for navigation but also as a global reference system crucial for spatial memory formation. We propose a neural circuit for integration of magnetic information into visual guidance networks in the ant brain. Taken together, our results provide an insight into the neural substrate for magnetic navigation in insects. Competing Interests: Competing interests statement:The authors declare no competing interest.
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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