Fate of an escape neuron in a blind fish inhabiting a predator-free environment.

What is it about?

We compare both physiological and morphological characteristics of an individually identifiable, multisensory command neuron of a cave population of the Mexican tetra (Astyanax mexicanus) with that of the surface form. In teleost fish, information from all sensory systems is forwarded to the Mauthner neuron (MN). On the basis of this information, the MN initiates a fast start escape to outmaneuver the sudden approach of a predator. The lack of predators and light in the cave environment therefore enables clear hypotheses about the evolutionary trajectory of this neuron in the blind cavefish. However, here we show in a case that should be particularly clear that predicting the evolution of neuronal cell types in the vertebrate brain can be strikingly far from obvious.

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Why is it important?

The ability to identify neuronal cell types across species has led to major insights in the evolution of the vertebrate brain. However, how diverse selective pressures have shaped the evolutionary trajectory of the morphology and functional properties of a given cell type remains mostly elusive. The study investigates this in a particularly suitable model.

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