Date of Award
Spring 5-2-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Dr. Thomas Preuss
Second Advisor
Dr. Joshua Plotnik
Academic Program Adviser
Dr. Sandeep Prasada
Abstract
Sleep like states have been observed in many animals and there is growing interest to study sleep in diverse species to better understand its function. Our experiment sought to define sleep in a colony of cichlid fish (A. burtoni), which have a complex and well understood social hierarchy and thus can give insights into the effects of sleep on social interactions. However, a prerequisite for this endeavor is to first define sleep patterns in this species. One common characteristic of sleep is a reduction in arousal, which can be measured as a reduction in sensitivity to sensory stimuli. Here we used acoustic stimuli of different intensities (175, 179, 185, 187 dB, rel. 1μP in water) to quantify changes in arousal threshold of startle behavior within a 12/12hr day and night cycle. The results showed significant reduced startle probabilities during night (lights off) hours. Our research suggests that A. burtoni shows sleep like patterns, which will allow us to study the effects of sleep deprivation on social behavior in the future.
Recommended Citation
Nguyen, Emily, "Defining sleep based on behavioral responsiveness in the African cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni" (2025). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/hc_sas_etds/1300
