Meeting Abstract
A long standing hypothesis in neuroscience assumes that closely related species that perform identical behaviors are thought to also share the same neural circuits to produce said behavior. However, recent research in the leech species Hirudo verbana and Macrobdella decora has shown that despite showing the same reproductive behaviors, their neural connections may differ. During reproductive behavior, electrophysiology was previously used to show that motor neuron patterns between the two closely related annelids, Hirudo verbana and Macrobdella decora were significantly different. The identical behaviors appear to be induced by an oxytocin/vasopressin analog synthesized in the two Leydig cells within each ganglion. We have found this hormone analog in both species by using immunohistochemical staining, and in intact animals, injection with the hormone analog has been shown to induce reproductive behavior. The progression of reproductive behaviors was then quantitatively shown to be identical through behavioral assays. The potential differences in neural connectivity and circuit organization will be further explored by using intracellular and extracellular electrophysiology on the Leydig cells. The electrophysiology assays will be performed on Macrobdella decora and compared to data previously collected on Hirudo verbana. The results are expected to show potentially different number of spikes, latencies, or patterns between the two species.
