The brain of Cataglyphis ants: Neuronal organization and visual projections
The brain of Cataglyphis ants: Neuronal organization and visual projections
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DOI：
10.1002/cne.24934
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发表时间：
2020-06-05
影响因子：
2.5
通讯作者：
Roessler, Wolfgang
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Habenstein, Jens;Amini, Emad;Roessler, Wolfgang
Cataglyphis蚂蚁以其出色的导航能力而闻名。它们使用路径整合进行了意义深远的觅食之旅后，回到不起眼的巢穴，只要有机会，它们就会学习和记忆全景风景的视觉特征。为了实现这一目标，蚂蚁将来自天体线索和全景场景的方向视觉信息与来自内在里程计的距离信息结合起来，联合收割机。Cataglyphis主要基于视觉的导航需要复杂的神经网络来处理广泛的视觉刺激。虽然Cataglyphis蚂蚁已经进行了许多神经行为学的研究，很少有人知道他们的中央大脑和视觉通路以外的主要回路的一般神经组织。在这里，我们提供了一个全面的，三维神经元地图的突触丰富的神经元在大脑的Cataglyphis结节，包括主要的连接纤维系统。此外，我们还更详细地研究了视觉信息处理的神经束。本研究共发现33个脑神经柱和30个神经纤维束，包括视叶和大脑之间的6个不同的纤维束。我们还讨论了昆虫脑结构的比较研究的重要性，深入了解神经网络及其功能。
Cataglyphis ants are known for their outstanding navigational abilities. They return to their inconspicuous nest after far-reaching foraging trips using path integration, and whenever available, learn and memorize visual features of panoramic sceneries. To achieve this, the ants combine directional visual information from celestial cues and panoramic scenes with distance information from an intrinsic odometer. The largely vision-based navigation in Cataglyphis requires sophisticated neuronal networks to process the broad repertoire of visual stimuli. Although Cataglyphis ants have been subjected to many neuroethological studies, little is known about the general neuronal organization of their central brain and the visual pathways beyond major circuits. Here, we provide a comprehensive, three-dimensional neuronal map of synapse-rich neuropils in the brain of Cataglyphis nodus including major connecting fiber systems. In addition, we examined neuronal tracts underlying the processing of visual information in more detail. This study revealed a total of 33 brain neuropils and 30 neuronal fiber tracts including six distinct tracts between the optic lobes and the cerebrum. We also discuss the importance of comparative studies on insect brain architecture for a profound understanding of neuronal networks and their function.