this week shows the pathways in the octopus brain that could lead to this strange behavior. Previously, cephalopod experts have hypothesized that its purpose could be to distract predators away from eggs, donate the nutrients from the mother’s body to the young, or protect a herd from older octopuses that won’t think twice about cannibalizing each other’s young.—endocrine organs in squid and octopuses that contribute to sexual development and aging.
In their new research, Ragsdale and his coauthor Z. Yan Wang broke down the chemicals that the optic gland was producing around the time of the octopus mother’s behavioral break. The found three specific pathways light up: The first produces pregnancy steroids pregnenolone and progesterone; the second produces components for bile acids; and the third produces increased levels of cholesterol-precursor 7-dehydrocholesterol .
“We know cholesterol is important from a dietary perspective, and within different signaling systems in the body too,” Wang. “It’s involved in everything from the flexibility of cell membranes to production of stress hormones, but it was a big surprise to see it play a part in this [octopus] life cycle process as well.”
Elevated 7-DHC levels have an immediate tie to a human disorder called Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome. It can affect mental development and behavior in children, and is often
Such an interesting article and finding a connection to humans.
Sounds like post-partum depression! Curious about the similarity in chemical changes...
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