NEURAL AND BEHAVIORAL BASES OF SENSORY INTEGRATION IN THE MOSQUITO
Abstract
The PI propose a multidisciplinary effort to characterize the behavioral and neural bases of sensory integration using mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti) as a model system. Generally, we lack an understanding of the temporal and spatial scales of sensory integration as the animal navigates to a target, or how multisensory cues are integrated into the brain to control behavior. Mosquitoes provide an excellent model to explore this process. During free-flight, mosquitoes ignore visual and auditory targets, but after encountering an odor, they become sensitized and attracted to these stimuli. In this proposal, the PI focus on characterizing the olfactory gating of visual and auditory preferences of mosquitoes. Neuromodulators like octopamine play essential roles in the mosquito nervous system, and the preliminary data suggest that olfactory input drives octopamine-mediated modulation of other sensory brain regions, thereby coupling sensory inputs.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Aug 12, 2021
- Source ID
- FA95502010422
Entities
People
- Jeffrey A. Riffell
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- United States Air Force
- University of Washington