Ken Catania

Stevenson Professor of Biological Sciences Vanderbilt University

  • Nashville TN

Expert on sensory systems' impact on animal behavior, particularly naked mole rats, star-nosed moles, cockroaches and eels.

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Biography

Kenneth Catania is a neuroscientist whose investigations of mammalian insectivores, particularly the star-nosed mole, provide fundamental insights into the organization of the sensory cortex. The star-nosed mole, a near-blind, wetlands-dwelling rodent, relies on fleshy tactile tendrils surrounding its nose to locate and identify prey underground. In his early work, Catania showed that the somatosensory cortex of these animals is organized in spatial maps corresponding to the sensory organ itself; this discovery represents a correspondence to the organization of the visual cortex in most other mammals. By investigating natural variations in the number of sensory tendrils, he was able to show that the somatosensory maps reorganize according to the morphology of the organ, implying that the sensory inputs themselves shape the cortical organization during development. Recently, Catania used foraging theory to show that the star-nosed mole approaches the theoretical maximum speed for locating and consuming food; he postulates that the remarkably fast neural processing of sensory input represents a necessary adaptation to the ecological niche of this insectivorous mole species. Through his integrative approach to understanding an unusual animal model, Catania generates new insights into the mammalian cortex — how it evolves, how it develops, and how it responds to changing conditions.

Kenneth Catania received a B.S. (1991) in zoology from the University of Maryland, College Park and a Ph.D. (1997) in neuroscience from the University of California, San Diego. He was a postdoctoral fellow at Vanderbilt University (1997-1998) and served as an assistant professor (1998-2006) in Vanderbilt’s Department of Biological Sciences, prior to being named an associate professor in 2006. Catania’s articles have appeared in such journals as Nature, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, and Nature Neuroscience.

Areas of Expertise

Animal Behavior
spatial maps
rodents
Biological Sciences
neural processing
sensory cortex
mammals
Nature
star-nose mole
star-nosed mole
naked mole rats
electric eels
Eels
Cockroaches
Moles
Animal Sensory Systems
Evolution
visual cortex
evolution of mammals
Foraging

Accomplishments

The Jeffrey Nordhaus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching

2016

Guggenheim Fellowship

2014

Pradel Award in Neuroscience, National Academy of Sciences

2013

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Education

University of California

Ph.D.

Neurosciences

1994

University of California

M.S.

Neurosciences

1992

University of Maryland

B.S.

Zoology

1989

Selected Media Appearances

Electric eels inspire novel “jelly” batteries for soft robotics, wearables

Ars Technica  online

2024-07-17

Vanderbilt University biologist and neuroscientist Kenneth Catania is one of the most prominent scientists studying electric eels these days. He has found that the creatures can vary the degree of voltage in their electrical discharges, using lower voltages for hunting purposes and higher voltages to stun and kill prey. Those higher voltages are also useful for tracking potential prey, akin to how bats use echolocation. One species, Volta's electric eel (Electrophorus voltai), can produce a discharge of up to 860 volts. In theory, if 10 such eels discharged at the same time, they could produce up to 8,600 volts of electricity—sufficient to power 100 light bulbs.

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These Tiny, Beautiful Wasps Eat the Hearts Out of Cockroaches

The New York Times  online

2023-10-29

“Since the 1800s, people have sort of had this mantra that parasitoids selectively avoid eating the vital organs of their host so that they can keep it alive,” said Kenneth Catania, a neuroecologist at Vanderbilt University. “And what I have found is that this parasitoid goes straight to the heart of the cockroach, and eats it.”

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Masters of worm grunting vibrate like moles to harvest bait

Popular Science  online

2022-12-13

Whether by the name of worm grunting, charming, or rooping, the idea is essentially the same: make the ground shake and wait for the worms to inch their way out. The origins of the practice aren’t clear, but Vanderbilt University biology professor Ken Catania thinks it could have been an accident; someone probably created vibrations while cutting down a tree and realized that worms responded, he says. Worm grunting has been practiced around the world for many decades, and reached a peak in Sopchoppy in the 1960s and ’70s before the US Forest Service limited it to permit holders.

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Selected Articles

How Not to Be Turned into a Zombie

Brain, Behavior and Evolution

K.C. Catania

2018-10-31

The emerald jewel wasp (Ampulex compressa) is renowned for its ability to zombify the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) with a sting to the brain. When the venom takes effect, the cockroach becomes passive and can be led by its antenna into a hole, where the wasp deposits an egg and then seals the exit with debris. The cockroach has the ability to walk, run, or fly if properly stimulated, but it does not try to escape as it is slowly eaten alive by the developing wasp larva. Although the composition and effects of the wasp’s venom have been investigated, no studies have detailed how cockroaches might prevent this grim fate. Here it is shown that many cockroaches deter wasps with a vigorous defense. Successful cockroaches elevated their bodies, bringing their neck out of reach, and kicked at the wasp with their spiny hind legs, often striking the wasp’s head multiple times. Failing this, the elevated, “on-guard” position allowed cockroaches to detect and evade the wasp’s lunging attack. If grasped, the cockroaches parried the stinger with their legs, used a “stiff-arm” defense to hold back the stinger, and could stab at, and dislodge, the wasp with tibial spines. Lastly, cockroaches bit at the abdomen of wasps delivering the brain sting. An aggressive defense from the outset was most successful. Thus, for a cockroach not to become a zombie, the best strategy is: be vigilant, protect your throat, and strike repeatedly at the head of the attacker.

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All in the Family – Touch Versus Olfaction in Moles

The Anatomical Record

Kenneth C. Catania

2018-01-07

Here I review, compare, and contrast the neurobiology and behavior of the common, eastern mole (Scalopus aquaticus) and the star‐nosed mole (Condylura cristata). These two species are part of the same family (Talpidae) and have similar body size and general morphology. But they differ in sensory specializations, complexity of neocortical organization, and behavior. The star‐nosed mole has an elaborate mechanosensory organ—the star—consisting of 22 epidermal appendages (rays) covered with 25,000 touch domes called Eimer's organs. This densely innervated structure is represented in the neocortex in three different somatosensory maps, each visible in flattened neocortical sections as a series of 11 modules representing the 11 rays from the contralateral body. The 11th ray is greatly magnified in primary somatosensory cortex (S1). Behavioral studies show the star is moved in a saccadic manner and the 11th ray is a high‐resolution tactile fovea, allowing star‐nosed moles to forage on small prey with unprecedented speed and efficiency. In contrast, common mole noses lack Eimer's organs, their neocortex contains only two cortical maps of the nose, and they cannot localize small prey. Yet common moles have exceptional olfactory abilities, sniffing in stereo to rapidly localize discrete odor sources originating from larger prey. In addition, common moles are shown to track odorant trails laid down by moving prey. These results highlight the surprising abilities of species once thought to be simple, and the usefulness of diverse species in revealing general principles of brain organization and behavior.

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Power Transfer to a Human during an Electric Eel’s Shocking Leap

Current Biology

Kenneth C. Catania

2017-09-25

Catania tests the dynamics of the electrical circuit that develops when an electric eel leaps to electrify a threat. Even small eels use this strategy to direct the majority of their electric current through a target. Current levels and eel pulse rates efficiently activate nociceptors, providing
a powerful deterrent to potential predators.

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