Threatening stimuli elicit a sequential cardiac pattern in arthropods

• Published in: iScience 2024-01, Vol.27 (1), p.108672-108672, Article 108672
• Main Authors: Pérez-Schuster, Verónica, Salomón, Lucca, Bengochea, Mercedes, Basnak, Melanie Ailín, Velázquez Duarte, Francisco, Hermitte, Gabriela, Berón de Astrada, Martín
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Behavioral neuroscience; Biological sciences; Neuroscience; Physiology
• ISSN: 2589-0042; 2589-0042
• DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108672

In order to cope with the challenges of living in dynamic environments, animals rapidly adjust their behaviors in coordination with different physiological responses. Here, we studied whether threatening visual stimuli evoke different heart rate patterns in arthropods and whether these patterns are related with defensive behaviors. We identified two sequential phases of crab’s cardiac response that occur with a similar timescale to that of the motor arrest and later escape response. The first phase was modulated by low salience stimuli and persisted throughout spaced stimulus presentation. The second phase was modulated by high-contrast stimuli and reduced by repetitive stimulus presentation. The overall correspondence between cardiac and motor responses suggests that the first cardiac response phase might be related to motor arrest while the second to the escape response. We show that in the face of threat arthropods coordinate their behavior and cardiac activity in a rapid and flexible manner. [Display omitted] •Threatening visual stimuli evoke two sequential cardiac response phases in arthropods•Low and high salience stimuli differentially modulate first and second cardiac phases•First cardiac phase would be related to animal’s motor stop while second to escape•Cardiac activity modulation underlying defensive responses is rapid and flexible Biological sciences; Physiology; Neuroscience; Behavioral neuroscience