Glial modulation of motor activity by ephaptic coupling and gliotransmission in the Drosophila nervous system

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Most animals can move to find their mating partners, to search food sources or to escape their predators. In order to react to external as well as internal stimuli the body is equipped with a broad range of sensory organs which send their information to the central nervous system. Here the computing takes place, and based on differential calculation of different sensory information appropriate action selection paradigms are triggered. The computed decision is then transmitted to the muscle by the activity of motor neurons. The neural circuits in the Drosophila brain are well understood and the networks required for different larval movement patterns have been identified. Here, we will address the role of glial cells in modulating locomotor behavior at the level of well-defined neuronal circuits. In a first project part, we will dismantle the organization of a peripheral feedback loop which includes the contribution of glia in blocking ephaptic coupling. In a second part, we will test the contribution of glial cells in defining discrete signaling pathways in the CNS. The proposal will combine the strengths of the laboratories of Akinao Nose and Christian Klämbt focusing on the impact of either neurons or glial cells on locomotor behavior in the Drosophila larva. We aim to understand the contribution of glial cells during action selection in a defined neural pathway.