Neurons in the brain of the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria sensitive to polarized light at low stimulus elevations
Neurons in the brain of the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria sensitive to polarized light at low stimulus elevations
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DOI：
10.1007/s00359-016-1116-x
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发表时间：
2016-11-01
影响因子：
2.1
通讯作者：
Homberg, Uwe
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Beetz, M. Jerome;Pfeiffer, Keram;Homberg, Uwe
沙漠蝗虫(Schistocerca Gregaria)通过专门的背部眼睛区域感知背部呈现的偏振光平面，这些区域可能适合利用蓝天的偏振模式进行空间定位。这些背缘光感受器和极化敏感中间神经元的感受野指向高空，但可能延伸到30A度以下的海拔。然而，行为数据表明，斑潜蝇甚至能够探测到来自腹面方向的偏振光，但这方面的生理学证据仍然缺乏。在这项研究中，我们描述了蝗虫大脑中的神经元在低海拔到地平线时表现出极化敏感性的特征。在大多数神经元中，从天顶刺激时，极化敏感性不存在或很弱。所有的神经元，包括视叶的投射和连合神经元以及中央脑的局部中间神经元，都是新的细胞类型，不同于迄今研究的极化敏感神经元。将两只眼睛的背缘区域涂成黑色以阻止视觉输入对这些神经元的偏振敏感性没有影响，这表明它们接受来自主眼的偏振光输入。讨论了这些神经元在飞行稳定或感知水体或植被反射的偏振光方面的可能作用。
Desert locusts (Schistocerca gregaria) sense the plane of dorsally presented polarized light through specialized dorsal eye regions that are likely adapted to exploit the polarization pattern of the blue sky for spatial orientation. Receptive fields of these dorsal rim photoreceptors and polarization-sensitive interneurons are directed toward the upper sky but may extend to elevations below 30A degrees. Behavioral data, however, suggests that S. gregaria is even able to detect polarized light from ventral directions but physiological evidence for this is still lacking. In this study we characterized neurons in the locust brain showing polarization sensitivity at low elevations down to the horizon. In most neurons polarization sensitivity was absent or weak when stimulating from the zenith. All neurons, including projection and commissural neurons of the optic lobe and local interneurons of the central brain, are novel cell types, distinct from polarization-sensitive neurons studied so far. Painting dorsal rim areas in both eyes black to block visual input had no effect on the polarization sensitivity of these neurons, suggesting that they receive polarized light input from the main eye. A possible role of these neurons in flight stabilization or the perception of polarized light reflected from bodies of water or vegetation is discussed.