Structure and Function of the Insect Mushroom Body in Sensory and Motor Integration

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The brain of insects contains a prominent pair of centers known as the mushroom bodies. These structures have been implicated in discrimination of odors important for feeding and mating behavior, and the anatomical organization has been suggested to be a repeated arrangement of an essentially simple wiring pattern. More recent studies now suggest that the mushroom bodies play a central role in a much wider variety of functions, including integration of vision and smell, memory of place, and motor control. Along with these disparate functions, the structure of the mushroom bodies may have far more internal partitioning into locally functioning regions. This project uses a combination of anatomy, physiology, and behavior to examine the sensory signals in uniquely identified nerve cells, and the connections of these neurons to further processing pathways. A novel marking method will allow recording from single neurons in behaving insects, and later recovering the location and form of those active individual cells. Using a comparative approach among species representing key evolutionary lineages, these studies will clarify the organizational ground rules of a brain center that has ancient origins. The demonstration of important roles for the mushroom bodies in integrating sensory information leading to behavioral action may suggest some bases for the extraordinary evolutionary and ecological success of the insects. The impact will extend beyond neuroscience into areas of ecology and evolution, and perhaps also to pest control in agriculture.