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Damion Meany
Biology / Chemistry

Nathan Tublitz, Mentor

fMRI imaging of the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis

The cephalopod family of mollusks, arguably the most advanced invertebrate species, present an intermediate level of neurological complexity that makes them an ideal species for experimentation. Cephalopods possess complex neural networks with several distinct regions of higher processing that are simple enough to be deciphered and yet complex enough to give meaningful insight into more complex systems. Functional magnetic resonance imaging—fMRI—will provide an image of the brain of Sepia officinalis as it engages in camoflage, an activity which activates higher processing centers and is under direct neural control by a hierarchy of different regions of the brain. An fMRI map of the regions actively associated with camouflage behavior will allow comparison of these regions to the proposed processing hierarchy established by previous direct stimulation experiments. We expect to verify—and perhaps dispute—many aspects of the proposed geography of the cephalopod brain. A more detailed map of the cephalopod brain will provide a better understanding of the regions that regulate higher function in this species and others.