NEWS & VIEWS

nature
International weekly journal of science

Can Crustaceans feel pain?

Suzuki Y1, Fukushima M1, Sakuraba K1, K Kräftlund2, Sawaki K1, Sekigawa K1

T he question of whether
crustaceans experience pain is a
matter of scientific debate. Pain
is a complex mental state, with a
distinct perceptual quality but also
might be an indication of lower
cognitive function in the species.

Sometimes a distinction is made

between "physical pain" and
associated with suffering, which is an "emotional" or "psychological pain".
emotional state. Because of this Emotional pain is the pain experienced
complexity, the presence of pain in an in the absence of physical trauma, e.g.
animal, or another human for that the pain experienced by humans after
matter, cannot be determined the loss of a loved one, or the break-up
unambiguously using observational of a relationship. It has been argued
methods, but the conclusion that that only primates and humans can feel
animals experience pain is often "emotional pain", because they are the
inferred based on likely presence of only animals that have a neocortex – a
phenomenal consciousness which is part of the brain's cortex considered to
deduced from comparative brain be the "thinking area". However,
physiology as well as physical and research has provided evidence that
behavioural reactions. [1][2] monkeys, dogs, cats and birds can
show signs of emotional pain and
In this study to find an answer to the display behaviours associated with
question an approach involving depression during painful experience,
standardised tasks was used to infer i.e. lack of motivation, lethargy,
empathy and emotional rationale in anorexia, unresponsiveness to other
crustaceans, as a measure of higher animals. [4]
cognition. Different species were
subjected to a standardised questioner To investigate further a second
containing twenty questions regarding experiment was conducted were the
empathy towards (prawn)people in Crayfish were subjected to emotionally
need of help. Empathy obtained in this painful scenarios and their stress
way is known to correlate to response was recorded. In one such
probability of voting right wing and scenario crustaceans played a co-
Finally, blood samples were gathered
and lymphocytes were analysed with
flow cytometry. NxN plots were used
to generate pictograms which were
shows to Crayfish and emotional
response was recorded. (Fig.3)
Figure 3. Peripheral lymphocytes were gated on the
basis of size and granulation with population
identification using a equation,
∰ _dNc^Ni(t, c)▒ϑn(t, x)
to identify outliers from the cluster.
An NxN plot was then used to generate species
specific Rorschach inkblots, as described by
Humbug et al. [5]
Crayfish have very limited ability to
elicit any response being able to be
recorded even by the most skilled
crustacean psychologists. [6] This
combined with the highly experimental
stimulus yielded no results. (Fig 4.)
1
110
2

has been shown in many orders of operative video game, in the game
3 100
animals. [3] This is also shown in our different phrases were used that were
materials of human controls. (Fig. 1) demeaning e. g. should you have to ask 4
100
RWA
for detection? Response recorded to 90
such phrases included blood pressure 5
Voting probability

Human controls
Crustaceans
(mm hg), heart rate (beats per minute)
6
50
***
Lobsters and intra venous concentration of 80
Crayfish
Crabs Adrenaline (µg/L). A B C D E F
Figure 3. Heat map of emotional response to species
0 ** specific psychological testing. Blue indicates
0 5 10 Figure 2. Nested T-
increased emotional agitation white less. Emotional
Empathy test setup using violin
stimulation matrix as the x- and y-axis.
Figure 1. The x-axis is empathy as obtained by a representation of data
standardized questioner. Y-axis is the probability of spread. Stimulated
voting for a right-wing political alternative, crayfish did not differ In conclusion this work might not be
represented in the Swedish fresh water area by from unstimulated in able to fully answer the question
Sverige Demokraterna. Lobsters and Crayfish any of the parameters. initially pondered, however, we find no
displayed a significant difference when analysed by Of particularly little
linear regression. RWA (Red Whine Axel) is not is blood pressure support for the sensation of pain or
displayed as a humble reminder that huge variance since crayfish have an other complex cortical experiences. So
occurs within species (under influence), a seemingly open circulation and with kräftskivor around the corner one
empathic individual with a high probability of right- an exoskeleton
wing voting. meaning blood can only encourage the highly
pressure is not a anticipated feast.
applicable concept.
Lobsters are known political absolutists
and can be seen to ignore populist “Somewhere, something incredible is
voting regardless of empathic ability. waiting to be known.” – Carl Sagan
With Crayfish a correlation is seen
between empathic ability and voting
habit but even with high empathic
ability probability remains high, this

1
University of Tokyo, department of aquatic life forms 2Kräftspecialisten