CAREER: Neural Mechanisms for Acoustic Communication in Drosophila

对特定物种的声音信号的神经调谐是听觉系统的一个保守特征;它被发现从昆虫到人类。该建议利用果蝇中可用的遗传工具，在单个神经元和电活动模式的水平上研究这种调谐是如何产生的，以及它如何与行为输出相关。研究结果将有助于更广泛地了解神经系统如何处理听觉信息。苍蝇在交配仪式中通过特定物种的求偶歌曲进行交流。歌曲通常由男性产生;女性面临的任务是识别歌曲，基于其物种特异性参数，并选择特定的伴侣，部分基于同种个体之间的歌曲差异。PI建议通过以下方式来表征这种行为背后的电路：i）解析驱动交配的求偶歌曲的特征，ii）使用体内成像和电生理学方法表征听觉通路沿着的神经反应，iii）通过利用跨物种比较来确定神经调谐和歌曲偏好之间的关系。由于果蝇的听觉通路在受体神经元之前仍然没有映射，这些研究将是第一批揭示果蝇大脑如何处理声音的研究之一。最终，这些结果可能揭示更复杂神经系统中声学感知的机制，并可能有利于疾病（例如，这项研究计划还辅之以一项教育计划，旨在激励初中、高中和本科阶段的下一代神经科学家，并促进女性进入科学领域并取得进步。PI将i）为普林斯顿大学本科生开发一门关于行为遗传和神经基础的新神经科学课程，ii）为参加普林斯顿科学与工程博览会的地区中学生创建一个Fly Songs演示，iii）在普林斯顿为来自附近经济贫困地区的高中女生发起一个新的亲密科学学者研讨会，让他们接触到大学水平的前沿研究，并鼓励他们从事科学事业，特别是在更多的计算学科。

Neural tuning for species-specific acoustic signals is a conserved feature of auditory systems; it is found from insects to humans. This proposal takes advantage of the genetic tools available in Drosophila to investigate, at the level of individual neurons and patterns of electrical activity, how such tuning arises and how it relates to behavioral outputs. Research findings will contribute to a larger understanding of how nervous systems process auditory information. Flies communicate via species-specific courtship songs during their mating ritual. Songs are typically produced by males; females are faced with the task of recognizing song, based on its species-specific parameters, and choosing a particular mate, based in part on differences in song between conspecific individuals. The PI proposes to characterize the circuits that underlie this behavior by i) resolving the features of courtship song that drive mating, ii) characterizing, using in vivo imaging and electrophysiology methods, neural responses along the auditory pathway, and iii) determining the relationship between neural tunings and song preference by exploiting cross-species comparisons. As the fly auditory pathway remains unmapped past the receptor neurons, these studies will be among the first to reveal how sound is processed by the Drosophila brain. Ultimately, these results may shed light on mechanisms underlying acoustic perception in more complex nervous systems and may benefit studies of disorders (e.g., autism spectrum) that alter this process.The research proposal is complemented by an education plan that is directed at inspiring the next generation of neuroscientists at the middle school, high school, and undergraduate levels, and at fostering the entrance and advancement of women in science. The PI will i) develop a new neuroscience course on the genetic and neural basis for behavior for Princeton undergraduates, ii) create a Fly Songs demonstration for area middle school students participating in the Princeton Science and Engineering Expo, and iii) initiate a new and intimate Science Scholars Workshop at Princeton for high school girls from nearby economically-underprivileged areas, providing them exposure to cutting edge research at the university level and encouragement to pursue careers in science, particularly in more computational disciplines.