Fish Central Nervous System

FISH CENTRAL
NERVOUS SYSTEM
The Central Nervous System
The part of the nervous system which in

vertebrates consist of BRAIN and SPINAL CORD,
to which sensory impulses are transmitted and
from which motor impulses pass out, and
coordinates the activity of the entire nervous
system.
2
CNS
Brain and Spinal Cord
Sensory Pathways Motor Pathways
Sensory neurons Sensory neurons

registering external registering external
stimuli stimuli
PNS
Somatic nervous Autonomic nervous

system system
(voluntary) (involuntary)
Sympathetic nervous Parasympathetic nervous

system system
"fight or flight" "rest and repose"
central nervous system (CNS)

peripheral nervous system (PNS)
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Vertebrate Brains
 All vertebrate brains have three basic divisions:

 Hindbrain
 Midbrain
 Forebrain
 In fishes,
 Hindbrain – largest portion
 Midbrain – processes visual information
 Forebrain – processes olfactory information
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Vertebrate Brains
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Vertebrate Brains
 Relative sizes of different brain regions have changed as
vertebrates evolved
 Forebrain became the dominant feature
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PROJECTION OF
SENSORY INPUT
SENSORY SYSTEM OF FISH
a. OLFACTION - In all vertebrates, the only primary sensory receptor cells in
teleost are located in the olfactory mucosa and reach the glomerular
layer of the olfactory bulbs.
b. VISION - most teleosts are highly visually guided animals and some of
their capabilities involving this sensory modality are impressive.
c. MECHANORECEPTION – mechanosensory information reaches the brain via
the lateral line nerves.
d. ELECTRORECEPTION – as all other sensory systems described here, the
perception of weak electric fields is a plesiomorphic character of
vertebrates.
e. AUDITION - the auditory capabilities of many teleost are impressive.
Auditory signals are perceived for greater distances compared to
mechanosensory signals, and the perceived frequency range is up to 3000 Hz.
f. VESTIBULAR SENSE - the peripheral receptor cells that mediate the sense of
balance are
found in the inner ear semicircular canal and olithic endorgans.
g. GUSTATION - the gustatory system of fishes can be differentiated from the olfactory
system primarily based on its peripheral and central anatomy.
h. GENERAL VISCERAL SENSE - in addition to the special viscerosensory

modality (gustation), the teleostean vagal nerve also encodes
general viscerosensory stimuli from the viscera to the
CNS, notably to the nucleus commissuralis of Cajal.
i. SOMATOSENSATION - teleost appear to have a relay center at the spinal

cord-brainstem junction for ascending somatosensory fibers
similar to the dorsal column cuneate and gracile nuclei in
mammals.
Hearing and Equilibrium in Other Vertebrates
 Unlike mammals, fishes have only a pair of inner ears near the brain
 Most fishes and aquatic amphibians also have a lateral line system
along both sides of their body
 The lateral line system contains mechanoreceptors with hair cells
that detect and respond to water movement
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Figure 50.14
Lateral line
Cross section
SURROUNDING WATER
Opening of
Scale Lateral line canal lateral line
Epidermis canal
Cupula
Sensory
hairs
Hair cell
Supporting
Segmental muscle cell
Lateral nerve
FISH BODY WALL Nerve fiber
Processing of Visual Information in the Brain
 The optic nerves meet at the optic chiasm near the cerebral cortex
 Sensations from the left visual field of both eyes are transmitted to
the right side of the brain
 Sensations from the right visual field are transmitted to the left side
of the brain
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Figure 50.20
Right Optic chiasm

visual
field
Right
eye
Left
eye
Primary
Left Optic nerve visual
visual Lateral
cortex
field geniculate
nucleus
CEREBELLUM
The teleostean cerebellum includes three parts:
a. VESTIBULOLATERALIS LOBE – is likely to be homologous to the
vestibulocerebellum present in all vertebrates since it
receives primary octaval (presumably vestibular) as well as lateral
line projections.
b. CORPUS CEREBELLI – lies on top of the rostral rhombencephalon as

in all vertebrates.
c. VALVULA CEREBELLI – extends into the tectal ventricle.

AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
A part of the vertebrate nervous system that innervates smooth and

cardiac muscle and glandular tissues and governs involuntary actions
( as secretion and peristalsis) and that consist of the following:
A. SYMPATHETIC NS - part of the ANS that contains chiefly
adrenergic fibers and tends to depress secretion, decrease the tone
and contractility of smooth muscle and increase heart rate.
B. PARASYMPATHETIC NS - part of the ANS that contains chiefly
cholinergic fibers that tends to induce secretion, to increase the tone
and contractility of smooth muscle, and to slow heart rate, and that
consist of cranial and sacral part.
REFERENCES
1. DAVID H. EVANS, The Physiology of Fishes 2nd Edition

2. AIRHART, M. J. and KRRIEBEL, R. M., Telencephalic terminals in the
major retinal synaptic lamina of the goldfish optic tectum. Brain Res.

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FISH CENTRAL

The part of the nervous system which in

Sensory Pathways Motor Pathways

Sensory neurons Sensory neurons

Somatic nervous Autonomic nervous

Sympathetic nervous Parasympathetic nervous

central nervous system (CNS)

 All vertebrate brains have three basic divisions:

h. GENERAL VISCERAL SENSE - in addition to the special viscerosensory

i. SOMATOSENSATION - teleost appear to have a relay center at the spinal

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Right Optic chiasm

b. CORPUS CEREBELLI – lies on top of the rostral rhombencephalon as

c. VALVULA CEREBELLI – extends into the tectal ventricle.

A part of the vertebrate nervous system that innervates smooth and

1. DAVID H. EVANS, The Physiology of Fishes 2nd Edition

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