Neuroanatomical Basis of Endocrine-Mediated Development

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As individuals age and pass through different stages of life, their responses to the world around them change in both predictable and unpredictable ways. These changes often involve how well, how rapidly, and what an individual learns. One of the most challenging problems in biology is to understand how changes in brain structure relate to development of behavior in adults; of particular interest are age-related changes in behavior involving learning and memory. Dr. Robinson and Dr. Fahrbach will capitalize on exciting data that indicate changes in circulating juvenile hormone (JH) influence both the behavioral development of worker bees and the determination of caste. It is known that worker bees perform a complex series of behaviors during their short (20-42) days of life. Younger bees rear the next generation; middle-aged bees maintain the hive and guard the colony; the most mature bees forage outside of the hive for nectar and pollen. Foraging is an extremely demanding task involving learning and memory, and advanced forms of communication. These striking changes in behavior are mediated by changes in juvenile hormone. Juvenile hormone also causes the permanent differentiation of females into either queens or workers. Drs Robinson and Fahrbach are using these systems to define the neural pathway through which hormone action on the brain causes transient or permanent changes in behavior. They will investigate how juvenile hormone influences neurogenesis or neural circuitry during periods in which behaviors are changing. In the long term, the goal to use this excellent model system to provide information on how learning and memory are affected by hormones. In addition, the honey bee is an important insect for agriculture. Therefore, greater understanding of the plasticity of behavior may contribute its continual role as an important agricultural pollinator.