Development, Adaptation, and Persistent, Stimulus-Independent Neural Activity in a Sensorimotor Circuit in Drosophila Melanogaster

Development, Adaptation, and Persistent, Stimulus-Independent Neural Activity in a Sensorimotor Circuit in Drosophila Melanogaster PDF Author: Brennan Walter McFarland
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Adaptation
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Central to all animals is the ability to interpret relevant external stimuli and react appropriately. For animals to be able to recognize and react appropriately to stimuli, neurons must first develop and wire with appropriate partners to build functioning neural circuits. The visual system has served as a model system to investigate neuronal development and target specificity, but rarely has the relationship between connectivity and downstream neuronal output been investigated in the same system. A major barrier to studying neural circuit development and investigating how neurons integrate inputs from many pre-synaptic partners is the lack of systems amenable to genetic and physical accessibility over development necessary for impactful, direct experimentation. Here, we take advantage of the genetically tractable animal Drosophila melanogaster and explore the development of a functionally well-characterized sensorimotor circuit, the convergence of visual projection neurons (VPNs) onto the dendrites of a large descending neuron called the giant fiber (GF). We find two partner VPNs, encoding different visual features that target the same GF dendrite, occupy distinct territories on the GF dendrite, in part, through sequential axon arrival during development. We find that during the initial partner matching stage, pre- and post-synaptic proteins are already present and opposed to one another. Physical occupancy is important to maintain territories, as we find the ablation of one VPN results in expanded dendritic territory occupied by the surviving partner VPN, and that this compensation enables the GF to remain responsive to ethologically relevant visual stimuli. Lastly, we develop a novel ex-vivo electrophysiology preparation and perform the first electrophysiology recording from a pupal CNS neuron. Using this preparation, we record persistent, stimulus independent neural activity in the GF in pupal stages, suggesting neural activity may be important for appropriate GF development. Our data highlight temporal mechanisms for visual feature convergence and promote the GF circuit, and the Drosophila optic glomeruli where VPN to GF connectivity resides, as an ideal developmental model for investigating complex wiring programs and plasticity in visual feature convergence.

Development, Adaptation, and Persistent, Stimulus-Independent Neural Activity in a Sensorimotor Circuit in Drosophila Melanogaster

Development, Adaptation, and Persistent, Stimulus-Independent Neural Activity in a Sensorimotor Circuit in Drosophila Melanogaster PDF Author: Brennan Walter McFarland
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Adaptation
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
Central to all animals is the ability to interpret relevant external stimuli and react appropriately. For animals to be able to recognize and react appropriately to stimuli, neurons must first develop and wire with appropriate partners to build functioning neural circuits. The visual system has served as a model system to investigate neuronal development and target specificity, but rarely has the relationship between connectivity and downstream neuronal output been investigated in the same system. A major barrier to studying neural circuit development and investigating how neurons integrate inputs from many pre-synaptic partners is the lack of systems amenable to genetic and physical accessibility over development necessary for impactful, direct experimentation. Here, we take advantage of the genetically tractable animal Drosophila melanogaster and explore the development of a functionally well-characterized sensorimotor circuit, the convergence of visual projection neurons (VPNs) onto the dendrites of a large descending neuron called the giant fiber (GF). We find two partner VPNs, encoding different visual features that target the same GF dendrite, occupy distinct territories on the GF dendrite, in part, through sequential axon arrival during development. We find that during the initial partner matching stage, pre- and post-synaptic proteins are already present and opposed to one another. Physical occupancy is important to maintain territories, as we find the ablation of one VPN results in expanded dendritic territory occupied by the surviving partner VPN, and that this compensation enables the GF to remain responsive to ethologically relevant visual stimuli. Lastly, we develop a novel ex-vivo electrophysiology preparation and perform the first electrophysiology recording from a pupal CNS neuron. Using this preparation, we record persistent, stimulus independent neural activity in the GF in pupal stages, suggesting neural activity may be important for appropriate GF development. Our data highlight temporal mechanisms for visual feature convergence and promote the GF circuit, and the Drosophila optic glomeruli where VPN to GF connectivity resides, as an ideal developmental model for investigating complex wiring programs and plasticity in visual feature convergence.

Brain Development in Drosophila melanogaster

Brain Development in Drosophila melanogaster PDF Author: Gerhard Martin Technau
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 0387782613
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 173

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Book Description
The fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster is an ideal model system to study processes of the central nervous system This book provides an overview of some major facets of recent research on Drosophila brain development.

The Hot-Blooded Insects

The Hot-Blooded Insects PDF Author: Bernd Heinrich
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3662103400
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 604

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Book Description
"From one man's persistent and elegant probing of the temperature biology of bees, we have been led to a deeper understanding of the whole biology of many insect taxa, and of their interactions with ecological and environmental stresses: all who work at the interfaces of physiology, ecology and behaviour have cause to be grateful, and all should certainly read this book." (Trends in Ecology & Evolution) "An outstanding source of information, and can be read with profit and satisfaction by the professional biologist and interested amateur alike." (Nature)

The Insect Central Complex – From Sensory Coding to Directing Movement

The Insect Central Complex – From Sensory Coding to Directing Movement PDF Author: Stanley Heinze
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
ISBN: 2889455785
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 179

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Book Description


Decoding Neural Circuit Structure and Function

Decoding Neural Circuit Structure and Function PDF Author: Arzu Çelik
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319573632
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 517

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Book Description
This book offers representative examples from fly and mouse models to illustrate the ongoing success of the synergistic, state-of-the-art strategy, focusing on the ways it enhances our understanding of sensory processing. The authors focus on sensory systems (vision, olfaction), which are particularly powerful models for probing the development, connectivity, and function of neural circuits, to answer this question: How do individual nerve cells functionally cooperate to guide behavioral responses? Two genetically tractable species, mice and flies, together significantly further our understanding of these processes. Current efforts focus on integrating knowledge gained from three interrelated fields of research: (1) understanding how the fates of different cell types are specified during development, (2) revealing the synaptic connections between identified cell types (“connectomics”) using high-resolution three-dimensional circuit anatomy, and (3) causal testing of how iden tified circuit elements contribute to visual perception and behavior.

Arthropod Brains

Arthropod Brains PDF Author: Nicholas James Strausfeld
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674046331
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 849

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Book Description
In The Descent of Man, Charles Darwin proposed that an ant’s brain, no larger than a pin’s head, must be sophisticated to accomplish all that it does. Yet today many people still find it surprising that insects and other arthropods show behaviors that are much more complex than innate reflexes. They are products of versatile brains which, in a sense, think. Fascinating in their own right, arthropods provide fundamental insights into how brains process and organize sensory information to produce learning, strategizing, cooperation, and sociality. Nicholas Strausfeld elucidates the evolution of this knowledge, beginning with nineteenth-century debates about how similar arthropod brains were to vertebrate brains. This exchange, he shows, had a profound and far-reaching impact on attitudes toward evolution and animal origins. Many renowned scientists, including Sigmund Freud, cut their professional teeth studying arthropod nervous systems. The greatest neuroanatomist of them all, Santiago Ramón y Cajal—founder of the neuron doctrine—was awed by similarities between insect and mammalian brains. Writing in a style that will appeal to a broad readership, Strausfeld weaves anatomical observations with evidence from molecular biology, neuroethology, cladistics, and the fossil record to explore the neurobiology of the largest phylum on earth—and one that is crucial to the well-being of our planet. Highly informative and richly illustrated, Arthropod Brains offers an original synthesis drawing on many fields, and a comprehensive reference that will serve biologists for years to come.

Neurobiology of Motor Control

Neurobiology of Motor Control PDF Author: Scott L. Hooper
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118873408
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 510

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Book Description
A multi-disciplinary look at the current state of knowledge regarding motor control and movement—from molecular biology to robotics The last two decades have seen a dramatic increase in the number of sophisticated tools and methodologies for exploring motor control and movement. Multi-unit recordings, molecular neurogenetics, computer simulation, and new scientific approaches for studying how muscles and body anatomy transform motor neuron activity into movement have helped revolutionize the field. Neurobiology of Motor Control brings together contributions from an interdisciplinary group of experts to provide a review of the current state of knowledge about the initiation and execution of movement, as well as the latest methods and tools for investigating them. The book ranges from the findings of basic scientists studying model organisms such as mollusks and Drosophila, to biomedical researchers investigating vertebrate motor production to neuroengineers working to develop robotic and smart prostheses technologies. Following foundational chapters on current molecular biological techniques, neuronal ensemble recording, and computer simulation, it explores a broad range of related topics, including the evolution of motor systems, directed targeted movements, plasticity and learning, and robotics. Explores motor control and movement in a wide variety of organisms, from simple invertebrates to human beings Offers concise summaries of motor control systems across a variety of animals and movement types Explores an array of tools and methodologies, including electrophysiological techniques, neurogenic and molecular techniques, large ensemble recordings, and computational methods Considers unresolved questions and how current scientific advances may be used to solve them going forward Written specifically to encourage interdisciplinary understanding and collaboration, and offering the most wide-ranging, timely, and comprehensive look at the science of motor control and movement currently available, Neurobiology of Motor Control is a must-read for all who study movement production and the neurobiological basis of movement—from molecular biologists to roboticists.

The Oxford Handbook of Developmental Psychology, Vol. 1

The Oxford Handbook of Developmental Psychology, Vol. 1 PDF Author: Philip David Zelazo
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199958459
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 1049

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Book Description
This handbook provides a comprehensive survey of what is now known about psychological development, from birth to biological maturity, and it highlights how cultural, social, cognitive, neural, and molecular processes work together to yield human behavior and changes in human behavior.

Fundamentals of Brain Network Analysis

Fundamentals of Brain Network Analysis PDF Author: Alex Fornito
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 0124081185
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 496

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Book Description
Fundamentals of Brain Network Analysis is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to methods for unraveling the extraordinary complexity of neuronal connectivity. From the perspective of graph theory and network science, this book introduces, motivates and explains techniques for modeling brain networks as graphs of nodes connected by edges, and covers a diverse array of measures for quantifying their topological and spatial organization. It builds intuition for key concepts and methods by illustrating how they can be practically applied in diverse areas of neuroscience, ranging from the analysis of synaptic networks in the nematode worm to the characterization of large-scale human brain networks constructed with magnetic resonance imaging. This text is ideally suited to neuroscientists wanting to develop expertise in the rapidly developing field of neural connectomics, and to physical and computational scientists wanting to understand how these quantitative methods can be used to understand brain organization. Winner of the 2017 PROSE Award in Biomedicine & Neuroscience and the 2017 British Medical Association (BMA) Award in Neurology Extensively illustrated throughout by graphical representations of key mathematical concepts and their practical applications to analyses of nervous systems Comprehensively covers graph theoretical analyses of structural and functional brain networks, from microscopic to macroscopic scales, using examples based on a wide variety of experimental methods in neuroscience Designed to inform and empower scientists at all levels of experience, and from any specialist background, wanting to use modern methods of network science to understand the organization of the brain

The Cambridge Handbook of Animal Cognition

The Cambridge Handbook of Animal Cognition PDF Author: Allison B. Kaufman
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 110856125X
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 1032

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Book Description
This handbook lays out the science behind how animals think, remember, create, calculate, and remember. It provides concise overviews on major areas of study such as animal communication and language, memory and recall, social cognition, social learning and teaching, numerical and quantitative abilities, as well as innovation and problem solving. The chapters also explore more nuanced topics in greater detail, showing how the research was conducted and how it can be used for further study. The authors range from academics working in renowned university departments to those from research institutions and practitioners in zoos. The volume encompasses a wide variety of species, ensuring the breadth of the field is explored.