CAREER: Neural Mechanisms for Acoustic Communication in Drosophila

对特定物种的声音信号进行神经调谐是听觉系统的一个保守特征；从昆虫到人类都有这种现象。这项建议利用果蝇可用的遗传工具，在单个神经元和电活动模式的水平上，研究这种调节是如何发生的，以及它与行为输出之间的关系。研究结果将有助于更好地理解神经系统是如何处理听觉信息的。在交配仪式上，苍蝇通过特定物种的求偶歌曲进行交流。歌声通常是由雄性产生的；雌性面临着识别歌声的任务，基于其特定物种的参数，并部分基于同种个体之间的歌声差异来选择特定的配偶。PI建议通过以下方法来描述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)使用活体成像和电生理学方法表征听觉通路上的神经反应；以及iii)通过利用跨物种比较来确定神经调谐和鸣叫偏好之间的关系。由于苍蝇的听觉通路仍未被绘制通过感受器神经元，这些研究将是揭示果蝇大脑如何处理声音的第一批研究之一。最终，这些结果可能有助于揭示更复杂神经系统中潜在的声音感知机制，并可能有助于对改变这一过程的障碍(例如，自闭症谱系)的研究。研究计划得到了一项教育计划的补充，该计划旨在激励初中、高中和本科水平的下一代神经科学家，并促进女性在科学领域的入学和进步。国际学生联合会将i)为普林斯顿大学本科生开发一门关于遗传和神经行为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飞歌演示，以及iii)在普林斯顿为来自附近经济贫困地区的高中女孩发起一个新的亲密的科学学者研讨会，让她们接触到大学层面的尖端研究，并鼓励她们追求科学事业，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.