Here at Cape Breton University our Lab studies how the brain and hormones influence behavior — using weakly electric fish as a model. These unique animals generate and detect electric signals to communicate and navigate, offering a powerful window into the links between genes, hormones, and behavior. Through our research, we uncover insights that apply across species.

Our lab studies the bidirectional relationship between the brain and hormones and the regulation of social behaviors. Previous work has shown that:
(1) Changes in the chemistry of certain brain areas & the release of certain hormones are important in regulating social behaviors.
(2) Social experiences feedback to modify the very same brain circuits and hormones that regulate social behaviors to begin with. 

Yet, the neuroendocrine mechanisms at the level of cells and genes underlying this bidirectional connection are not fully understood.One way to try to better understand this connection is to study these mechanisms in what we call a “champion” organism, that displays a social behavior that is easy to measure and interpret, and that is regulated by the same or by very similar neuroendocrine substrates as seen in other vertebrates including us.  

Our behavioral neuroendocrinology lab uses electric fish from South America as our “champion” organism. You are probably wondering why this fish in particular. It all boils down to their unique communication system. They emit a continuous weak electric signal throughout their entire life to communicate with each other. These electric signals are used to determine the sex and social status of other fish, and to make decisions on who to fight with and who to mate with. The final piece that makes working with this fish even more exciting is what we know so far about the neuroendocrine control of their electric signals. Their electric signals change dynamically in response to changes on their social environment and we can mimic or inhibit these changes by injecting the fish with chemicals that activate or inhibit the action of hormones such as serotonin, androgens, and melanocortins 

The fish studied in this lab are pin-tail knifefish(Brachyhypopomus gauderio) and ossaknifefish(Rhamphichthys rostratus)—both species of weakly electric fish native to South America. These remarkable animals sense and produce electricity: they are electroreceptive, detecting faint electric fields from other organisms, and electrogenic, generating their own electric organ discharge (EOD) for navigation and communication.

Because they both send and receive electric signals, these fish offer a powerful system for behavioural, genetic, and pharmacological research. The EOD is directly controlled by the brain, providing a rare, real-time link between neural activity and behaviour. Unlike many animal models, the signals these fishes produce in captivity closely resemble those seen in the wild —making them ideal for studying natural behaviour under controlled conditions.

Our B. gauderio breeding colony also allows us to follow individual social histories and study how environment and experience shape communication. The EODs can be easily recorded using electrodes, amplified, and digitized to measure their frequency, duration, and amplitude. These signal features change in response to hormones such as androgens and melanocortins, revealing information about sex, age, identity, social status, and motivation.

By studying these electric signals, we can uncover how the brain and hormones work together to produce the complex social behaviorsthat underlie all animal life—including our own. 

Our research on electric fish extends far beyond the aquarium. Many of the genes that control the electric organ discharge (EOD)also play key roles in the human nervous system, cardiovascular system, and skeletal muscles. 
In other words, the same molecular machinery that allows these fish to generate electricity helps our own bodies send nerve impulses, pump blood, and move.
By studying how these genes activate and regulate electric signals in fish, we gain valuable insights into how tissues and organ systems evolved across species—and how the same genetic blueprints can be adapted for remarkably different functions.