Evolution of Neural Circuits for Locomotion

Georgia State University Research Foundation, Inc., Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

Understanding the neural mechanisms that underlie the evolution of species-specific behavior is a fundamental quest in biology. This project takes advantage of unique characteristics of the nervous systems of gastropod molluscs (sea slugs) that allow detailed comparisons to be made of the neuronal circuits underlying behavior in closely-related species. In sea slugs, distinct nerve cells or neurons can be recognized among individual animals within a species based on unique anatomical and physiological characteristics. The same characteristics can be used to recognize those neurons in the brains of other sea slug species. In this way, the roles of these neurons in producing behavior can be assessed. The project uses electrophysiological and neuroanatomical techniques to study the properties of neurons and their connections. It also uses new techniques for probing the genes that are expressed by individual neurons. The project uses a new web-based tool called NeuronBank.org to allow students and researchers at several institutions to share results of research projects. This will provide a training opportunity for students to learn basic neurobiological techniques and apply them to an important scientific question. It is expected that uncovering the differences in simpler circuits in sea slugs will provide an understanding of how complex behaviors arose during evolution. Just as one would like to know how human intelligence arises from a brain structure that is similar to that of monkeys, sea slugs offer the opportunity to figure out how species can differ at the level of circuits composed of identified neurons, something that is currently not feasible to investigate in mammals.