University Centre for Neuroscience, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9, Canada.
Behav Brain Res. 2011 Aug 1;221(1):189-96. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2011.03.001. Epub 2011 Mar 15.
Asymmetries in brain and behaviour have been demonstrated in numerous species representing all major vertebrate taxa, and may be a universal feature of the vertebrate nervous system. While descriptions of lateralization at the behavioural and neuroanatomical level are widespread, examples of correlation between asymmetries in behaviour and neural structures remain relatively scarce. In the past few years, the habenular nucleus has emerged as a potential site for the neural basis of some lateralized behaviours. Here we investigate the relation between continuous individual variation in asymmetry of the habenulae and behaviour in the detour task in the convict cichlid (Amatitlania nigrofasciata). We found that both male and female convicts show a significant population-level bias towards relatively larger left habenulae. We also show that habenular asymmetry is correlated with behavioural lateralization in both males and females, but in opposite directions. This adds to previous studies showing both in convict cichlids and other vertebrates an interaction between sex and lateralized behaviour. The results of this study increase our understanding of the role of the habenula in lateralized behaviour and highlight the importance of a comparative approach to understanding the development and evolution of habenular asymmetry.
在代表所有主要脊椎动物类群的众多物种中，已经证明了大脑和行为的不对称性，这可能是脊椎动物神经系统的一个普遍特征。虽然在行为和神经解剖学层面上对偏侧化的描述很广泛，但行为和神经结构之间的相关性的例子仍然相对较少。在过去的几年中，缰核已成为一些偏侧化行为的神经基础的潜在部位。在这里，我们研究了在绕道任务中缰核左右不对称的个体连续变化与行为之间的关系，在卷贝类慈鲷（Amatitlania nigrofasciata）中进行了研究。我们发现，雄性和雌性卷贝都表现出明显的种群水平偏向于相对较大的左侧缰核。我们还表明，缰核的不对称性与两性的行为偏侧化相关，但方向相反。这增加了之前在卷贝类慈鲷和其他脊椎动物中显示的性和偏侧化行为之间相互作用的研究。本研究的结果增加了我们对缰核在偏侧化行为中的作用的理解，并强调了比较方法对于理解缰核不对称性的发展和进化的重要性。
