The Lateral Line System provides an overview of the key concepts and issues surrounding the development, evolution, neurobiology, and function of the lateral line, a fascinating yet somewhat enigmatic flow-sensing system. The book examines the historical precedence for linking the auditory and lateral line systems, its structure and development, use of the lateral line system of zebrafish as a model system, physical principles governing the response properties of the lateral line, the behavioral relevance of this sensory system to the lives of fish, and an examination of how this information is shaped and encoded by the peripheral and central nervous systems.

Contents

The Gems of the Past: A Brief History of Lateral Line Research in the Context of the Hearing Sciences - Sheryl Coombs and Horst Bleckmann

Morphological Diversity, Development, and Evolution of the Mechanosensory Lateral Line System - Jacqueline F. Webb

The Hydrodynamic of Flow Stimuli - Matthew J. McHenry and James C. Liao

The Biophysics of the Fish Lateral Line - Sietse M. van Netten and Matthew J. McHenry

Sensory Ecology and Neuroethology of the Lateral Line - John Montgomery, Horst Bleckmann, and Sheryl Coombs

Information Encoding and Processing by the Peripheral Lateral Line System**-** Boris Philippe Chagnaud and Sheryl Coombs

The Central Nervous Organization of the Lateral Line System - Mario F. Wullimann and Benedikt Grothe

Central Processing of Lateral Line Information - Horst Bleckmann and Joachim Mogdans

Functional Overlap and Nonoverlap Between Lateral Line and Auditory Systems - Christopher B. Braun and Olav Sand

The Hearing Loss, Protection, and Regeneration in the Larval Zebrafish Lateral Line - Allison B. Coffin, Heather Brignull, David W. Raible, and Edwin WRubel