Neural mechanisms of corollary discharge in weakly electric mormyrid fish

Abstract

The task of self-other discrimination is ubiquitous across animal species. Corollary discharge is an internal predictive motor signaling, which modulates sensory processing and mediates self-other discrimination. Studies using weakly electric fish of the family Mormyridae, which communicate and electrically localize by emitting electric pulses, have made significant contributions to our understanding of the neural mechanisms of corollary discharge. Here I review (1) the discovery of the concept of corollary discharge, (2) the roles and mechanisms of corollary discharge in electro-communication, passive electrolocation, and active electrolocation, and (3) the evolution of corollary discharge, including relatively recent findings.