This research involves the study sensory information processing in the electrosensory system of gymnotiform fish. Electrosensory information is used in social communication, such as the jamming avoidance response (JAR), as well as for the detection and identification of objects. By intracellular labelling of physiologically identified neurons, the P.I. can explore morphological features and their significance for particular tasks in the processing of information. By tracing anatomical projections of identified classes of neurons, the routes and way stations of pathways along which specific forms of information are processed can be determined. Research efforts will be concentrated upon connections from the torus semicircularis and tectum opticum of the midbrain to the complex of the nucleus electrosensorius (NE) in the pretectum. Neurons in the torus and the tectum have more general response properties and are less sensitive to specific stimulus features than are neurons in the NE. The higher response specificity and sensitivity of neurons in the NE appears to result from extensive neuronal convergence.//
