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Behavioral observation of xenopus tadpole swimming for neuroscience labs

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li2014junea107.pdf (1.035Mb)
Date
2014
Author
Li, Wenchang
Wagner, Monica Anne
Porter, Nicola Jean
Keywords
Xenopus
Tadpole
Swimming
Neuromuscular junction behaviour
Pharmacology
Physiology
QP Physiology
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Abstract
Neuroscience labs benefit from reliable, easily - monitored neural responses mediated by well - studied neural pathways . Xenopus laevis tadpoles have been used as a simple vertebrate model preparation in motor control studies. Most of the neuronal pathways underlying different aspects of tadpole swimming behavior have been revealed. These include the skin mechanosensory touch and pineal eye light - sensing pathways whose activation can initiate swimming , and the cement gland pressure - sensing pathway responsible for stopping swimming. A simple transection in the hindbrain can cut off the pineal eye and cement gland pathways from the swimming circuit in the spinal cord, resulting in losses of corresponding functions. Additionally, some pharmacological experiments targeting neurotransmission can be designed to affect swimming and, fluorescence - conjugated α -bungarotoxin can be used to label nicotinic receptors at neuromuscular junctions. These experiments can be readily adapted for undergraduate neuroscience teaching labs. Possible expansions of some experiments for more sophisticated pharmacological or neurophysiological labs are also discussed.
Citation
Li , W , Wagner , M A & Porter , N J 2014 , ' Behavioral observation of xenopus tadpole swimming for neuroscience labs ' , Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education , vol. 12 , no. 2 , pp. A107-A113 .
Publication
Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
1544-2896
Type
Journal article
Rights
© 2014 The Authors. This is an Open Access article published in the Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education Spring 2014, available online: http://www.funjournal.org/
Collections
  • Institute of Behavioural and Neural Sciences Research
  • Psychology & Neuroscience Research
  • University of St Andrews Research
URL
http://www.funjournal.org/images/stories/downloads/2014_Volume_12_Issue_2/june-12-107.pdf
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10023/5038

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