Octopamine and Experience-Dependent Modulation of Aggression in Crickets

Intraspecific aggression is influenced in numerous animal groups by the previous behavioral experiences of the competitors. The underlying mechanisms are, however, mostly obscure. We present evidence that a form of experience-dependent plasticity of aggression in crickets is mediated by octopamine, the invertebrate counterpart of noradrenaline. In a forced-fight paradigm, the experience of flying maximized the aggressiveness of crickets at their first encounter and accelerated the subsequent recovery of aggressiveness of the normally submissive losers, without enhancing general excitability as evaluated from the animals' startle responses to wind stimulation. This effect is transitory and concurrent with the activation of the octopaminergic system that accompanies flight. Hemocoel injections of the octopamine agonist chlordimeform (CDM) had similar effects on aggression but also enhanced startle responses. Serotonin depletion, achieved using alpha-methyl-tryptophan, enhanced startle responses without influencing aggression, indicating that the effect of CDM on aggression is not attributable to increased general excitation. Contrasting this, aggressiveness was depressed, and the effect of flying was essentially abolished, in crickets depleted of octopamine and dopamine using alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine (AMT). CDM restored aggressiveness in AMT-treated crickets, indicating that their depressed aggressiveness is attributable to octopamine depletion rather than to dopamine depletion or nonspecific defects. Finally, the flight effect was blocked in crickets treated with the octopamine receptor antagonist epinastine, or with the alpha-adrenoceptor and octopamine receptor antagonist phentolamine, but not with the beta-adrenoceptor antagonist propranolol. The idea that activity-specific induction of the octopaminergic system underlies other forms of experience-dependent plasticity of aggressive motivation in insects is discussed.