Electrical coupling coordinates the activity of neurons that trigger reproduction

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My research centres on nerve cells from brain. These cells use bio-electricity to receive information from the outside world, signal each other, and initiate behaviours by sending output signals to muscles and glands. I am interested in how the electrical properties of nerve cells are controlled, as well as how output is influenced when multiple nerve cells work together. Specifically, I study the brain of a sea snail, known as Aplysia californica, which has many large and identifiable nerve cells. My focus is a group of nerve cells involved in initiating reproductive behaviour. The present proposal investigates the means by which these nerve cells synchronize their electrical activity to ensure timely delivery of the output that triggers reproduction. Electrical properties are governed by minute holes called channel proteins. Membrane channels pass ions (such as calcium, sodium, or potassium) in and out of the cell, while cell-to-cell channels pass ions between cells that are in contact with one another. Synchronized electrical activity is achieved through cell-to-cell channels. My aim is to examine how these channels operate, what factors in the nerve cell influence their function, and the direct role they play in shaping output. In doing so, I will provide opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students to train in the collection and analysis of bio-electrical data. Such training has served as a platform for my past personnel to subsequently succeed in academic science, professional school, or the private sector. This application offers the rather unique prospect of examining cell-to-cell communication in a behaviourally-relevant system that is well-defined by numerous years of prior research. In general, the key behaviours of many organisms, such as drinking, eating, and various aspects of reproduction, are caused or impacted by a collective and co-ordinated output from nerve cell groups. Thus, my work on Aplysia will also impact the understanding of animal biology and brain function.