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closePeter MacNeilage's Evaluation at Faculty of 1000 Biology
Posted by NiyazAhmed on 29 Jun 2008 at 06:24 GMT
Evaluated by: Peter F. MacNeilage
University of Texas at Austin, United States of America
[NEUROSCIENCE]
Tag: Confirmation
F1000 Factor: 6.00 (Must Read)
Comments:
This paper adds to a growing number of findings that lateralized neural control may exist in invertebrates as well as vertebrates. Honeybees were found to more readily recall a learned association of odours with rewards (shown by appropriate proboscis extension) using their right antenna at 1-2 hours after training. However, by 6 hours after training and beyond, recall is better using the left antenna. The authors raise the very important possibility that lateralization of memory function may be characteristic of bilateral animals in general.
To see this and other PLoS ONE evaluations at F1000B follow this boolean search [http://www.f1000biology.c...]
Best,
Niyaz Ahmed
Section Editor, PLoS ONE
RE: Peter MacNeilage's Evaluation at Faculty of 1000 Biology
vallortigara replied to NiyazAhmed on 07 Jul 2008 at 08:33 GMT
We would like to thank the colleagues for their generous evaluations and comments. As to the issue raised by Prof. Tommasi, if it is the issue of (genetic) homology that he has in mind, I think we should be very cautious. What is needed at this point is probably more information about asymmetries across major groups of invertebrates. Some evidence is indeed already available, e.g., the behavioural work of Ades and Ramires (2002) with spiders. We think the work of Hobert et al. (2002) with forms like Coenorhabditis elegans is also extremely important. Probably people working with animals like C. elegans are in the best position to establish sooner or later whether similar (same?) genes are at work in producing asymmetries in vertebrates and invertebrates.
Ades C, Ramires N (2002) Asymmetry of leg use during prey handling in the spider Scytodes globul (Scytodidae). J Insect Behav 15: 563-570.
Hobert O., Johnston RJ Jr, Chang S. (2002) "Left-right asymmetry in the nervous system: the Caenorhabditis elegans model." Nat Rev Neurosci. 3: 629-640.
RE: RE: Peter MacNeilage's Evaluation at Faculty of 1000 Biology
vallortigara replied to vallortigara on 07 Jul 2008 at 08:52 GMT
We would like to thank the colleagues for their generous evaluations and comments. As to the issue raised by Prof. Tommasi, if it is the issue of (genetic) homology that he has in mind, I think we should be very cautious. What is needed at this point is probably more information about asymmetries across major groups of invertebrates. Some evidence is indeed already available, e.g., the behavioural work of Ades and Ramires (2002) with spiders. We think the work of Hobert et al. (2002) with forms like Coenorhabditis elegans is also extremely important. Probably people working with animals like C. elegans are in the best position to establish sooner or later whether similar (same?) genes are at work in producing asymmetries in vertebrates and invertebrates.
Ades C, Ramires N (2002) Asymmetry of leg use during prey handling in the spider Scytodes globul (Scytodidae). J Insect Behav 15: 563-570.
Hobert O., Johnston RJ Jr, Chang S. (2002) "Left-right asymmetry in the nervous system: the Caenorhabditis elegans model." Nat Rev Neurosci. 3: 629-640.
Lesley, J. Rogers, Univ. New England, Australia
Giorgio Vallortigara, Univ. Trento, Italy