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2018 Fiscal Year Research-status Report

Brain activity of cephalopods during active and rest states.

Research Project

Project/Area Number 17K07493
Research InstitutionOkinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University

Principal Investigator

Kuba Michael  沖縄科学技術大学院大学, 物理生物学ユニット, 研究員 (10790280)

Project Period (FY) 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
KeywordsEEG / Activity cycle / Cephalopod
Outline of Annual Research Achievements

In the last year 6 Octopuses and 3 cuttlefish have been successfully tested and are presently being analyzed. We managed for the first time to get recordings of the brain activity for 13 hours in every octopus and for about 2-3 hours in every cuttlefish. After collecting the EEG recordings and the aligned video of the behavior of the animals we performed a microCT on the extracted brain to be able to determine the position of the 4 electrodes. Analysis of the EEG recordings is performed with the assistance of computational experts from the Max Planck Society in Germany, using their help we will be able to produce a high impact paper ready for submission in the next 3-4 months.
Due to our experience using the micro CT we decided to include a developmental series of the development of the brain in cuttlefish. This will result in another paper that will be submitted later this year.
Additionally, to the recording studies continued to study the activity cycle of both the octopus and the cuttlefish species used in this study. As side projects of our study we were able to show how keeping conditions of the octopuses could be improved (see presentation section) and how the cuttlefish hunt their prey (see presentation section). We are also able to increase our knowledge of keeping the octopus species we use in they experiment and we will be able to submit a short paper on better husbandry of this species earlier next year.

Current Status of Research Progress
Current Status of Research Progress

2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.

Reason

Obtaining recordings from octopuses and cuttlefish worked out just like planed in the original proposal. We managed thanks to the support by JSPS to be the first that could record brain activity from unrestrained cephalopods. One of our major initial advances was that we were able to waterproof the recording system and implanting it subcutaneous in the octopus and cuttlefish. This finding opens the chance to start a large variety of studies using this technique. Studies of brain activity during certain behavioral tasks will be possible and ground breaking. in addition to being used in cephalopods it also opens the chance to include other aquatic animals. Fish and crustaceans could also be included in future studies using the technique developed in this study. The last year of the grant will be used to finish the analysis and submit publications.

Strategy for Future Research Activity

Based on the findings of the study we will be able to submit several publications based on the work and experiments done in the last years. The results we collected so far will allow us to write a high impact publication on the method and the first recording of brain activity in unrestrained cephalopods. Additional findings and results acquired in the last year will allow us to create 2 more scientific papers - one on brain structure and development and one on the activity cycle and sleeping papers of cephalopods. Also, we will be able to publish a short paper on a new method to secure the capture and survival of cephalopods in captivity.
Based on the findings of this grant we will first submit several publications and then apply for further grants based on the findings form this grant. All of these present findings are giving us the chance to create novel lines of research.

Causes of Carryover

Part of the budget from last year had to be transferred to this year. The reason for this was that a planed trip to a scientific meeting had to be moved from last year to this year. The reason for this was that given the novelty and importance of the findings a presentation in FY 2018 would have been premature and not as high in impact as it will be this year. Using our new techniques we will be the first ever to show recordings of brain activity from non restrained cephalopods. Given the importance that cephalopods recently got this is a major finding that we will present later this FY. Therefore, we will need the money from last year for this FY to ad one extra travel to a meeting and to attend an international conference this year.

Remarks

none

URL: 

Published: 2019-12-27  

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