Effects of total telencephalic ablation on learning and memory in Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

• Grant number: 16/12055-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2016
• End date: July 31, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Physiology - Compared Physiology
• Principal Investigator: Luiz Henrique Florindo
• Grantee: Gabrielle Araujo Pimentel
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas (IBILCE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São José do Rio Preto. São José do Rio Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The telencephalon is the most complex brain region and is involved in learning and memory processes. Studies have shown that vertebrates have neuroanatomy, development and brain function evolutionarily conserved. Thus, like amygdala and hippocampus of mammals, the lateral and medial pallium of fish are involved in spatial learning and emotional respectively. In this sense, the present study aims to evaluate the effects of the total telencephalic ablation on learning and spatial memory in Nile tilapia, contributing to the knowledge about vertebrate's brain evolution. Experimental animals will be divided into three groups: intact group (IG), which will not undergo surgical procedures; sham group (SG) will be submitted to surgery procedure but will not receive telencephalic ablation; and ablation group (AG), whose telencephalons will be completely removed during surgery. The experimental apparatus consists of an aquarium with four different compartments connected by two openings. After surgical recovery, animals will be submitted to a learning training to locate food in the experimental apparatus, followed by a memory test to evaluate animal's ability to evoke this spatial information. At the end of the experiments, animals will be euthanized and their brains will be removed to confirm the telencephalic ablation. Data will by first analyzed by Levene's homogeneity test, followed by analysis of variance (ANOVA), and later by the post hoc Tukey test (parametric data) or Dunn (nonparametric data). Results will be considered significant when p d0.05.