440
the seasonally changing soundscape. Diencephalic dopaminergic neurons are
indeed active in response to exposure to midshipman vocalizations and are in a
perfect position to integrate the detection and appropriate motor response to conspecifi c acoustic signals for successful reproduction.
Keywords Porichthys notatus • Dopamine • Saccule • Acoustic communication •
Hair cell
1 Introduction
Although both the neural pathways and physiological response properties of the
auditory system in teleost fi shes have been investigated in numerous studies (e.g.,
Bass et al. 2005 ; Fay and Edds-Walton 2008 ; Lu 2011 ; Maruska and Sisneros, this
volume; McCormick 1999 , 2011 ; Edds-Walton, this volume), much less is known
about neuromodulators that affect auditory circuitry and subsequent behaviors in
response to biotic and abiotic sounds encountered by fi shes over the course of their
life history. Neuromodulators, including traditional neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, and steroid hormones may be dynamically or seasonally expressed in order to
coordinate the internal state of the animal with changes in sensory physiology that
underlie appropriate encoding and behavioral responses to auditory stimuli (Forlano
and Bass 2011 ; Forlano et al. 2015a ; Forlano et al. 2015b ). The plainfi n midshipman
fi sh, Porichthys notatus (family Batrachoididae), is highly amenable for investigating these types of questions as its auditory circuitry has been well delineated
throughout the CNS (Bass et al. 2000 ; Bass et al. 1994 ; Goodson and Bass 2002 ),
its peripheral and central physiology is well characterized (Bodnar and Bass 1997 ,
1999 ; McKibben and Bass 1999 , 2001b ; Rohmann and Bass 2011 ; Sisneros and
Bass 2003 ), and females exhibit an unconditioned positive phonotaxic response to
the fundamental frequency of the male advertisement call (McKibben and Bass
1998 ; Zeddies et al. 2010 ).
In this chapter, we focus on recent studies that build on this large foundation of
midshipman neuroanatomy, physiology, and behavior to investigate a role for catecholamines, which include dopamine (DA) and noradrenaline (NA), as potential
neuromodulators of central and peripheral auditory circuitry and as substrates for
the coordination of motivated behavioral responses to social acoustic signals in this
species. It is anticipated that these neuroanatomical fi ndings are not necessarily
specifi c only to midshipman or other soniferous fi shes, but are likely characteristic
of all vertebrates that employ conspecifi c acoustic communication.
Until recently, catecholamines have not been investigated as potential neuromodulators of auditory physiology or for auditory-driven social behavior in fi shes. Our
recent fi ndings offer new insights into the conserved nature and function of catecholamines, namely, DA, and how the midshipman model may in fact be the most
appropriate vertebrate model for investigating the functional signifi cance of DA
modulation in the auditory periphery in a natural behavioral context.
P.M. Forlano and J.A. Sisneros
the seasonally changing soundscape. Diencephalic dopaminergic neurons are
indeed active in response to exposure to midshipman vocalizations and are in a
perfect position to integrate the detection and appropriate motor response to conspecifi c acoustic signals for successful reproduction.
Keywords Porichthys notatus • Dopamine • Saccule • Acoustic communication •
Hair cell
1 Introduction
Although both the neural pathways and physiological response properties of the
auditory system in teleost fi shes have been investigated in numerous studies (e.g.,
Bass et al. 2005 ; Fay and Edds-Walton 2008 ; Lu 2011 ; Maruska and Sisneros, this
volume; McCormick 1999 , 2011 ; Edds-Walton, this volume), much less is known
about neuromodulators that affect auditory circuitry and subsequent behaviors in
response to biotic and abiotic sounds encountered by fi shes over the course of their
life history. Neuromodulators, including traditional neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, and steroid hormones may be dynamically or seasonally expressed in order to
coordinate the internal state of the animal with changes in sensory physiology that
underlie appropriate encoding and behavioral responses to auditory stimuli (Forlano
and Bass 2011 ; Forlano et al. 2015a ; Forlano et al. 2015b ). The plainfi n midshipman
fi sh, Porichthys notatus (family Batrachoididae), is highly amenable for investigating these types of questions as its auditory circuitry has been well delineated
throughout the CNS (Bass et al. 2000 ; Bass et al. 1994 ; Goodson and Bass 2002 ),
its peripheral and central physiology is well characterized (Bodnar and Bass 1997 ,
1999 ; McKibben and Bass 1999 , 2001b ; Rohmann and Bass 2011 ; Sisneros and
Bass 2003 ), and females exhibit an unconditioned positive phonotaxic response to
the fundamental frequency of the male advertisement call (McKibben and Bass
1998 ; Zeddies et al. 2010 ).
In this chapter, we focus on recent studies that build on this large foundation of
midshipman neuroanatomy, physiology, and behavior to investigate a role for catecholamines, which include dopamine (DA) and noradrenaline (NA), as potential
neuromodulators of central and peripheral auditory circuitry and as substrates for
the coordination of motivated behavioral responses to social acoustic signals in this
species. It is anticipated that these neuroanatomical fi ndings are not necessarily
specifi c only to midshipman or other soniferous fi shes, but are likely characteristic
of all vertebrates that employ conspecifi c acoustic communication.
Until recently, catecholamines have not been investigated as potential neuromodulators of auditory physiology or for auditory-driven social behavior in fi shes. Our
recent fi ndings offer new insights into the conserved nature and function of catecholamines, namely, DA, and how the midshipman model may in fact be the most
appropriate vertebrate model for investigating the functional signifi cance of DA
modulation in the auditory periphery in a natural behavioral context.
P.M. Forlano and J.A. Sisneros