Cockroaches and use vision system similar to the vestibular apparatus, for orientation in space – for tracking the trajectory and angle. According to scientists, people, rats and cockroaches are similar to a GPS system in the brain that allows them to navigate the new environmental conditions. The research is published in Current Biology, a brief about it informs RNS.
Researchers from the Case Western Reserve University recorded the activity of cells in the central complex of the brain. During the experiment, the cockroaches were in the tube, which was placed on the platform, rotating clockwise or counterclockwise. The platform was surrounded by a wall of black and white square as a removable guide. The installation of insects turned 360 degrees in increments of 30 degrees for four to six times clockwise and counterclockwise.
Most cell activity was recorded when the white card has been inserted and provides a visual landmark along with stimuli arising rotating passive motion platform. When you remove a white card activity of some cells remained stable and insects could navigate without visual signal. Additionally, the researchers temporarily blinded cockroaches, which led to the reassignment of GPS and the integration of the new visual information.
«The fact that we found the activity of the cells, very similar to the one that is fixed in mice and rats, shows that insects rely on the same sensory inputs, on which we must focus, and their brain so processes these data “, – said study author Adrienne G. Varga. The researchers suggest that humans and cockroaches might have a common ancestor, or in the process of evolution of species occurred convergence of their navigation systems.
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