Sisneros Lab Research:

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The Sisneros Lab investigates the behavioral, neural, and hormonal mechanisms underlying acoustic communication, with a particular emphasis on how sensory systems adapt to support social and reproductive behaviors. We use fishes as model systems to study the functional and adaptive plasticity of the vertebrate auditory system, taking advantage of their diverse communication strategies, well-characterized behaviors, and experimentally accessible sensory pathways.

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Our research program is organized around three interconnected foci that reflect a broad interest in the proximate mechanisms of social behavior and the role of sensory systems in shaping behavioral expression.

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The primary focus of the Sisneros Lab is the investigation of seasonal, reproductive-state dependent, and steroid-mediated plasticity in the adult auditory system of the plainfin midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus). Midshipman fish exhibit robust seasonal changes in vocal behavior and auditory sensitivity, providing a powerful natural model for understanding how endocrine signals modulate sensory processing in adulthood. Our work in this area examines how fluctuations in reproductive hormones alter auditory sensitivity, frequency tuning, neural encoding of communication signals, and inner ear structure, linking changes at the molecular and cellular levels to system-level function and behavior.

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A second focus of the lab examines ontogenetic changes in auditory system function. This work investigates how auditory response properties, sensitivity, and neural coding strategies develop across life stages, and how these developmental changes shape the perception and processing of socially relevant acoustic signals. By studying auditory ontogeny, we aim to identify conserved and flexible mechanisms that support the maturation of communication systems and behavioral competence.

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The third major focus of the Sisneros Lab is the study of sound source localization in fishes. This research addresses how aquatic vertebrates extract spatial information from underwater sound fields, despite the physical challenges imposed by water-borne acoustics. We investigate the neural and sensory mechanisms that enable fishes to detect, discriminate, and localize sound sources, including the contributions of inner ear end organs, directional hearing mechanisms, and vector-based processing of particle motion cues.

 

Across these research areas, we employ an integrative experimental approach that combines neurophysiology, neuroendocrinology, molecular and anatomical methods, and behavioral analyses. By studying auditory processing in ecologically relevant contexts, our goal is to understand how vertebrate auditory systems function in natural environments, how the brain encodes species-specific communication signals, and how adaptive sensory mechanisms support the detection and localization of biologically meaningful sounds.