Octopuses have brain waves that have never been seen before in animals, and along with others found in humans, the first brain recordings of their kind show.
The groundbreaking study obtained the first brain recordings of freely moving octopuses by implanting electrodes in the animals’ brains and connecting them to data loggers under their skin. The recordings have given scientists the first clues into the workings of the cephalopod brain. The researchers published their findings March 27 in the journal cell (opens in new tab).
“Some of these activity patterns bear some resemblance to activity patterns seen in the mammalian hippocampus, which is also a memory center,” first-author Tamar Gutnick (opens in new tab), visiting scientist at the University of Naples told Live Science. “But we also observed a unique pattern, 2Hz activity, that had never been reported in other animals.”
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Octopus and their nearness Cephalopod Relatives such as squid and cuttlefish have fascinated biologists since the 3rd century AD, when the Roman writer and naturalist, Claudius Allianus, noted their “plain-looking” characteristics of “tempest and craftsmanship”.
Octopus and others Cephalopods They have long been studied for their intelligence. Animals have remarkable memories, excel at camouflage; They are curious about their surroundings, have been observed using tools to solve problems, and—as indicated by the ripples of color that glow on their skin as they sleep—are even thought to dream.
However, peering into the mind of an octopus can be difficult. The creatures’ arms can reach any part of their boneless bodies, so not only can they easily grab and detach any invasive tracking object, but there’s no obvious place to anchor recording devices that can detect brainwaves.
To get around this, the researchers surgically inserted medical tracking devices into the heads of three captive octopuses, placing lightweight data loggers similar to those used on birds between their eyes before connecting them to electrodes inserted into the region of the octopus’s brain responsible for learning and memory. . The scientists then recorded the octopus for 12 hours as the creatures slept, groomed themselves and explored their tank.
The recorded brain wave patterns surprised scientists in many ways. First, the researchers detected brain waves that were similar to those found in the human hippocampus.
This points to convergent neurological evolution—where two different animals evolved the same trait independently of each other—because the last common ancestor of humans with the octopus was a seafloor-trawling flatworm that lived about 750 million years ago and had all but the primary There was nothing else. the brain The researchers also detected brain waves that are known to regulate sleep-wake cycles in other animals.
Along with the more familiar brain waves, the researchers also found ones they had never seen before in a recording; Long lasting and slow, they repeat only twice every second. Scientists aren’t sure why these mysterious brainwaves are used, and it will take more recordings while the octopus completes set tasks to fully map them, the researchers said.
“Mostly they all require recordings on octopuses that are trained to show certain behaviors, so we can get multiple repetitions with the same behavior,” Gutnick said. “In vertebrates, this is the key to finding patterns in brain activity that help us understand how the brain coordinates behavior.”
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