Sensory processing, perception and communication in simple nervous systems.

简单神经系统中的感觉处理、感知和交流。

• 批准号: 238882-2013
• 负责人: Mason, Andrew
• 金额: $ 2.91万
• 依托单位: University of Toronto
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2015-01-01 至 2016-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=570513
• 关键词: Sensory; processing; perception; communication; simple

Animals have evolved to detect and respond appropriately to information from their environment. Information is gathered by sensory organs and processed by the nervous system to result in behavioural decisions. Discerning how animals process multiple sensory inputs under natural, noisy conditions is essential to our understanding of how this process works across species, and to the development of biomimetic technologies. I focus on neural mechanisms of information processing in sensory-guided behaviour in insects and spiders. These relatively simple models have yielded important insight into basic principals underlying sensory systems. The fly Ormia ochracea makes decisions based on limited sensory information. These flies reproduce by depositing larvae on crickets where they develop as parasites. Female flies are able to exploit crickets when they hear and home in on their songs. I examine how the flies are able to accomplish this task. Ormia ears are insensitive to most differences in sound quality and register only the location of cricket songs. By studying how the central nervous system (CNS) responds to changes in the timing of cricket songs, I will identify principles that enable a simple nervous system to discriminate multiple sound sources on the basis of limited information. Basic-science data from these studies support efforts to develop miniature microphones based on Ormia ears. I also investigate sensory processing in animal communication. Communication also involves behavioural decisions based on sensory information, but in this case one animal creates signals that have evolved to directly transmit information to others. My research examines all stages in this process: how signals are generated; what information they carry; how they propagate between sender and receiver; how information is detected and encoded by the receiver. I do this work in a range of spider and insect taxa. This approach allows me to address how complex behaviours, particularly communication, evolve, and how the structure and function of the nervous system is related to specific behavioural capacities and environmental constraints.

动物已经进化到能够检测并对来自环境的信息做出适当的反应。信息由感觉器官收集，并由神经系统处理，从而产生行为决定。辨别动物如何在自然的、嘈杂的条件下处理多种感官输入，对于我们理解这一过程如何在物种间发挥作用以及仿生技术的发展至关重要。我专注于在昆虫和蜘蛛的感觉引导行为的信息处理的神经机制。这些相对简单的模型已经对感觉系统的基本原理产生了重要的见解。 Ormia ochracea根据有限的感官信息做出决定。这些苍蝇通过将幼虫放在蟋蟀身上繁殖，在那里它们作为寄生虫发育。雌蝇能够利用蟋蟀，当他们听到和家庭在他们的歌曲。我研究苍蝇是如何完成这项任务的。Ormia耳朵对大多数音质差异不敏感，只记录蟋蟀歌声的位置。通过研究中枢神经系统（CNS）如何对蟋蟀歌声的时间变化做出反应，我将确定使简单的神经系统能够在有限信息的基础上区分多个声源的原则。这些研究的基础科学数据支持了基于Ormia耳朵开发微型麦克风的努力。 我还研究了动物交流中的感觉处理。交流也涉及基于感官信息的行为决策，但在这种情况下，一种动物产生的信号已经进化到直接向其他动物传递信息。我的研究考察了这个过程中的所有阶段：信号是如何产生的;它们携带什么信息;它们如何在发送者和接收者之间传播;接收者如何检测和编码信息。我在一系列蜘蛛和昆虫分类群中做这项工作。这种方法使我能够解决复杂的行为，特别是沟通，如何演变，以及神经系统的结构和功能如何与特定的行为能力和环境约束有关。