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The gene proved very active in the habenula, a region of the cichlid’s brain that registers fear and instigates movement.

Employing patch-clamp electrophysiology, researchers elucidated changes in neuronal excitability in the medial habenula and ventral tegmental area based on nicotine dosage and sex.

The habenula, for its part, clearly acts as a kind of "satnav," showing the fish where it can locate a comfortable temperature and guiding it straight back there.

Deactivating the habenula region robs the fish of its ability to find its way around and forces it to adopt a different search strategy similar to bacteria and other single-celled organisms: it swims in a straight line for a while and then checks whether the temperature has changed to its liking.

The habenula might potentially store its location, enabling it to reconstruct sequences of movement.