Neural Mechanisms of Dominance Behavior

动物之间的社会关系影响它们的行为，并通过影响控制行为的神经回路和反应来实现。 社会地位和行为之间的主要联系是通过神经调节剂的释放发生的，这些调节剂在神经系统内具有广泛和有针对性的影响。 一 神经调节剂血清素与 社会秩序行为在各种脊椎动物和无脊椎动物中的表达，包括灵长类动物，啮齿动物，鱼类和甲壳类动物。 研究最多的是将5-羟色胺的作用与优势地位的表达联系起来的神经机制 在甲壳类动物中， 龙虾 还有小龙虾 在目前的赠款期间， 一 发现小龙虾可以预测 的 神经回路上用于翻转行为的神经调节剂血清素。 5-羟色胺增强侧巨人（LG）tailflip命令神经元的反应，其正常的机械感觉输入孤立的小龙虾和社会占主导地位的小龙虾，并抑制下属动物的细胞。差异源于对应的 差异 人口 的 血清素受体 目前的建议继续这项研究，确定来源的5-羟色胺调节LG在自由行为的动物，并通过询问在哪里和如何5-羟色胺有不同的影响LG在不同的社会地位的动物。 自由活动的小龙虾的血液中的血清素水平将在打斗中被测量，LG对血清素的反应，血清素激动剂 和 将测量拮抗剂 与 标准电生理技术。

Social relationships among animals influence their behavior, and do so by affecting the neural circuits and responses that control behavior. A primary link between social status and behavior occurs through the release of neuromodulators that have both widespread and targeted effects within the nervous system. One neuromodulator, serotonin, has been implicated in the expression of social ordering behaviors in a wide range of vertebrates and invertebrates, including primates, rodents, fish and crustaceans. The neural mechanisms that link serotonin's effects to the expression of dominance status have been studied most thoroughly in crustaceans, particularly lobsters and crayfish. During the current grant period the social dominance status of a crayfish was found to predict the effect of the neuromodulator serotonin on the neural circuit for the taiflip behavior. Serotonin enhances the response of the Lateral Giant (LG) tailflip command neuron to its normal mechanosensory input in isolated crayfish and in socially dominant crayfish, and inhibits the cell in subordinate animals. The differences result from corresponding differences in the population of serotonin receptors. The present proposal continues this research by determining the sources of serotonin that modulate LG in freely behaving animals, and by asking where and how serotonin has its different effects on LG in the animals of different social status. Blood levels of serotonin in freely behaving crayfish will be measured during fights, and the responses of LG to serotonin, serotonin agonists and antagonists will be measured with standard electrophysiological techniques.