Cavefish brain atlases reveal functional and anatomical convergence across independently evolved populations

James B. Jaggard, Evan Lloyd, Anders Yuiska, Adam Patch, Yaouen Fily, Johanna E. Kowalko, Lior Appelbaum, Erik R. Duboue, Alex C. Keene

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

29 Scopus citations

Abstract

Environmental perturbation can drive behavioral evolution and associated changes in brain structure and function. The Mexican fish species, Astyanax mexicanus, includes eyed river-dwelling surface populations and multiple independently evolved populations of blind cavefish. We used whole-brain imaging and neuronal mapping of 684 larval fish to generate neuroanatomical atlases of surface fish and three different cave populations. Analyses of brain region volume and neural circuits associated with cavefish behavior identified evolutionary convergence in hindbrain and hypothalamic expansion, and changes in neurotransmitter systems, including increased numbers of catecholamine and hypocretin/orexin neurons. To define evolutionary changes in brain function, we performed whole-brain activity mapping associated with behavior. Hunting behavior evoked activity in sensory processing centers, while sleep-associated activity differed in the rostral zone of the hypothalamus and tegmentum. These atlases represent a comparative brain-wide study of intraspecies variation in vertebrates and provide a resource for studying the neural basis of behavioral evolution.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbereaba3126
JournalScience advances
Volume6
Issue number38
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2020

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