Characterizing the Sensorimotor Transformation in Drosophila olfactory system

果蝇嗅觉系统感觉运动转换的特征 了解神经系统如何将感觉输入转换为运动命令是一个 神经科学中的基本问题。为了了解神经系统是如何执行这些任务的 复杂的感觉运动变换，我们必须能够提供一个良好控制的刺激 这引发了复杂的、多序列的行为，并提供了一种定量分析这一行为的方法 行为，以及对参与的潜在神经电路有完整的知识 这种行为。在这里，我们希望描述发生在 果蝇的两类嗅觉感受器神经元(ORN)及其鉴定 冲击行为。使用苍蝇脑的电子显微数据集，我们可以识别出 嗅觉系统一阶神经元与其下游神经元的联系模式 二阶和三阶神经元。苍蝇非常容易驯服，我们将使用遗传策略来 光遗传学激活这个一阶ORN类，并从第二和第三个记录- 对神经元进行排序，以响应这种激活。通过观察苍蝇对这一ORN的反应行为 我们可以确定它的选择性激活与其对 行为，以及从第一到第二和第二到第三之间的转变- 有序神经元会影响这种表达的行为。通过将光遗传学、电生理学、 计算建模和行为，这一建议旨在加深我们对 神经系统整合感觉信息以执行伴随的运动计划。

Characterizing the Sensorimotor Transformation in Drosophila olfactory system Understanding how the nervous system transforms sensory inputs into motor commands is a fundamental question in neuroscience. To understand how the nervous system performs these complex sensorimotor transformations we must be able to provide a well-controlled stimulus that elicits complex, multisequence behaviors and a means to quantitatively analyze this behavior, as well as have a complete knowledge of the underlying neural circuitry involved in this behavior. Here, we look to characterize the sensorimotor transformation occurring within two olfactory receptor neuron (ORN) classes in Drosophila melanogaster and identify how they impact behavior. Using an electron micrograph dataset of the fly brain we can identify the connection patterns between the first-order neurons of the olfactory system and the downstream second- and third-order neurons. The fly is highly tractable and we will use genetic strategies to optogenetically activate this first-order ORN classes and record from the second- and third- order neurons in response to this activation. By observing fly behavior in response to this ORN activation we can determine the relationship between its selective activation and its impact on behavior, as well as how the transformation between the first- to second- and second- to third- order neurons impact this expressed behavior. By combining optogenetics, electrophysiology, computational modeling, and behavior, this proposal seeks to further our understanding of how the nervous system integrates sensory information to execute an accompanying motor plan.