What an Animal that Eats Its Own Brain Can Teach Us

We often marvel at our brain's capabilities, taking for granted the necessity of this organ for consciousness and survival. That’s not true for all living beings. The sea squirt, a modest marine organism, partakes in a bewildering act of self-consumption by literally digesting its own brain. This strange behavior prompts a reevaluation of what we consider essential for life as we discover that some creatures adopt radical transformations to adapt to their environments.

The sea squirt, or Botryllus schlosseri , embarks on a fascinating journey from its inception as a free-swimming tadpole-like creature equipped with not one but two brains. This evolutionary marvel, the closest invertebrate relative to humans in the sea, showcases a lifecycle that is as curious as it is enlightening. Initially, these brains serve pivotal navigation and sensory functions. However, as the sea squirt settles into a sedentary existence attached to rocks and forms colonies, its lifestyle drastically shifts.

Upon finding a permanent spot on the ocean floor, the sea squirt transforms remarkably. One of its brains, having served its purpose for navigation, begins to dissolve. This process mirrors a deliberate act of simplification as the organism adapts to a stationary life where the cognitive demands of navigation are obsolete. The dissolution of the brain in sea squirts presents a vivid, albeit extreme, example of neural adaptation and degeneration, paralleling certain aspects of human neurological conditions where brain function deteriorates over time.

Studying the sea squirt opens new doors to understanding complex neurological diseases in humans, such as Alzheimer's disease. The genetic and cellular pathways underlying the sea squirt's brain dissolution are similar to those in human neurodegenerative diseases. By studying these processes in sea squirts, we might uncover new strategies for combating ailments that rob humans of their cognitive functions, another example of how much we can learn from nature.

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