(Xenopus laevis tadpole: Developmental stage 37/38)
Our recent publication in the Journal of Physiology identified elements of sensory working memory and decision-making at a surprisingly early stage of the developing vertebrate hindbrain.
We observed a process that resembles the accumulation of excitation seen in mammalian cortical circuits during decision-making. The finding of an equivalent process in the young nervous system of the tadpole points to the fundamental importance of this process in survival, by ensuring that the tadpole is making the right motor decisions.
https://doi.org/10.1113/JP276356