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Commentary Type

Invited Commentary

Thread

Lynne U. Sneddon, Javier Lopez-Luna, David C.C. Wolfenden, Matthew C. Leach, Ana M. Valentim, Peter J. Steenbergen, Nabila Bardine, Amanda D. Currie, Donald M. Broom, and Culum Brown, Fish sentience denial: Muddying the waters

Abstract

The target article by Sneddon et al. (2018) presents convincing behavioral and pharmacological evidence that ray-finned fish consciously perceive noxious stimuli as painful. One objection to this interpretation of the evidence is that the fish nervous system is not complex enough to support the conscious experience of pain. Data that contradict this objection are presented in this commentary. The neuroanatomy and neurophysiology of the fish nervous system from the peripheral nerves to the pallium is able to support the sentient appreciation of pain.

Author Biography

Michael L. Woodruff is Professor Emeritus of Biomedical Sciences at East Tennessee State University. His research interests include cognitive neuroscience evolutionary psychology and the philosophy of mind.

michaelwoodruff.academia.edu/

DOI

10.51291/2377-7478.1321

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