Importance of magnetic information for neuronal plasticity in desert ants.

ABSTRACT: 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

SUBMITTER: Grob R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10895258 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature