Octopi on Ecstasy

         In a study conducted in 2018 by scientists Dr. Eric Edsinger and Dr. Gül Dӧlen, the linkage between human and octopus lineages were tested by focusing on the presence of a particular binding site for a gene that expresses noticeable changes in social behavior when influenced by psychoactive stimulants. Dr. Edsinger, a research scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory involved in octopus genomics, paired with accomplished neuroscientist Dr. Dӧlen to publish this study to Current Biology. To prove that humans evolved from the marine invertebrates, the researchers attempted to confirm the presence of this structure by treating the animals with methylendioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, also known as ecstasy) which binds to the domain of this site coded by a specific ancestral gene to enhance prosocial behaviors. 

         This process involved a three-chamber social approach which included placing a subject Octopus bimaculoides into the central chamber, placing a toy/object into an adjacent chamber, and caging another octopus in the final chamber. The animals were observed for 30 minutes to examine social behaviors. Next, the subject was placed in an MDMA bath for 10 minutes, washed with saline solution, and placed back into the chamber to be observed for an additional 30 minutes. The examiners closely monitored the social behaviors of the subjects by tracking the amount of time spent in each chamber throughout the duration of the experiment. Researchers concluded that the octopi did in fact experience the same prosocial changes in behavior when given the drug, supporting the idea that the functional conservation of MDMA’s effects in humans evolved from the invertebrates.

         While this may seem like a harmless series of experiments, the species Octopus bimaculoides is not protected by any federal or state laws, nor is any invertebrate species for that matter. In fact, the studies involving these creatures are not formally reviewed or approved by higher authorities. Thus, the creatures are treated however the researchers deem appropriate. A single California Two-Spot Octopus was collected in Los Angeles, California and shipped to the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts to give birth to the 7 siblings that were used for this experiment. Throughout the duration of the study, only the researchers commented on the status of these subjects.

         Furthermore, in an interview following this study, Dӧlen responds to ethical concerns by using the argument that octopus are often consumed. The doctor claims that her lab used the same guidelines that are in place for mammals when studying the invertebrates; she also claims that the creatures were “modified for signs of stress”, but only expands by saying the octopus never inked during the study. She goes on to say, “that even for the most invasive manipulation we might do for research, the animals will be better taken care of than they are when they are used as food.” All in all, the lack of elaboration on the wellbeing of the test subjects ironically speaks volume on the need for protection of all animals, not just cute, fuzzy mammals. 

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Resources

Cuthbert, L. (2018, September 20). Octopuses given ecstasy for science — but is that ethical? National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/news-octopuses-ecstasy-mdma-drugs-social-science-brains-ethics.

Edsinger, E., & Dölen, G. (2018). A conserved role for serotonergic neurotransmission in mediating social behavior in octopus. Current Biology, 28(19), 3136–3142.e4. 

Kleindinst, T. (Photographer). (n.d.). Octopus bimaculoides [Image]. Johns Hopkins Medicine / EurekAlert! Science News Releases. https://www.eurekalert.org/multimedia/902270.

National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2006). MDMA (ecstasy) abuse (NIH Publication No. 06-4728). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://nida.nih.gov/sites/default/files/1763-mdma-ecstasy-abuse.pdf.