New research shows that crustaceans such as shrimps, lobsters and crabs have more in common with their insect relatives than previously thought — when it comes to the structure of their brains.
Both insects and crustaceans possess mushroom-shaped brain structures known in insects to be required for learning, memory and possibly negotiating complex, three-dimensional environments, according to the study, led by University of Arizona neuroscientist Nicholas Strausfeld.
The research, published in the open-access journal eLife, challenges a widely held belief in the scientific community that these brain structures — called “mushroom bodies” — are conspicuously absent from crustacean brains.- SCIENCEDAILY
