Adaptive inertial sensing in a complex behavioral repertoire
Abstract
Animal sensory systems are highly adaptable to different environmental conditions and behavioral states. A given sensory system, like vision, can process information very differently when an animal is in bright or dim conditions,or when it is flying rather than standing. This research will examine how mechanosensory information might be represented and processed in different ways during multiple behaviors in flying insects. The halteres, reduced hindwings of flies, are known to act as both gyroscopes and metronomes during flight, sensing body rotations and altering the phase of firing in a wing steering muscle. We recently found that, in addition to their canonical role in flight, the halteres can also act as gravity sensors in flies that are standing or walking (Daltorio and Fox, 2018). Given that these specialized mechanosensors can provide different kinds of information in different behavioral contexts, how does the nervous system interpret this information to make it useful for behavior? Here, we will characterize the mechanisms by which the nervous system processes haltere information and design new sensor processing strategies that use these mechanisms to equip engineered vehicles with increased sensory capacity for locomotion in multiple environments. We will carry out this project in four aims. First, we will measure haltere dynamics and model the resulting forces acting on the haltere in multiple behavioral contexts. Next, we will use these measurements to inform the dynamics of a finite element model. This model will demonstrate how different forces lead to different spike patterns in campaniform sensilla, the primary mechanosensory cells at the haltere base. In a third aim, we will determine how interneurons in the thoracic ganglion and brain respond to haltere input in multiple behavioral contexts using single and multi-cell electrophysiology.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Feb 25, 2023
- Source ID
- FA95502110010
Entities
People
- Jessica L Fox
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Case Western Reserve University
- United States Air Force