Abstract
Necturus maculosus has been selected as representative of a class of neotenic amphibia whose behavior (including gill beat, heartbeat, and tail waving) can be sensed remotely by submerged electrodes in an aquarium. This communication presents a validation of the technique as a preface to reports on the electrophysiology of behavior in unrestrained surgically naive salamanders. Although the sources of the submarine signals are not known with certainty, they apparently depend on two factors: (1) aquarium water of appropriate ionic strength serves as a volume conductor for activity, and (2) animal movement displaces water or produces waves which are sensed as a change in potential at the water-electrode interface. This method provides a continuous comprehensive record of behavior simultaneously from several response systems in a freely behaving animal.
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Research supported by Grant MH 11250 from the National Institute of Health to N.M.W.
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Goodman, D.A., Weinberger, N.M. Submerged electrodes in an aquarium: Validation of a technique for remote sensing of behavior. Behav. Res. Meth. & Instru. 3, 281–286 (1971). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03209946
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03209946