Neuroanatomical Basis of Endocrine-Mediated Development

随着个人年龄的增长和经历不同的人生阶段，他们对周围世界的反应会以可预测和不可预测的方式发生变化。这些变化通常涉及个人学习的程度、速度和内容。生物学中最具挑战性的问题之一是理解大脑结构的变化与成人行为发展的关系；特别令人感兴趣的是与年龄相关的学习和记忆行为变化。罗宾逊博士和法巴赫博士将利用令人兴奋的数据，这些数据表明，循环中的少年激素（JH）的变化既影响工蜂的行为发展，也影响种姓的决定。众所周知，工蜂在其短暂的（20-42天）生命中执行一系列复杂的行为。年轻的蜜蜂养育下一代；中年蜜蜂维护蜂巢，守护蜂群；最成熟的蜜蜂在蜂巢外觅食花蜜和花粉。觅食是一项要求极高的任务，涉及学习和记忆，以及高级形式的交流。这些显著的行为变化是由少年激素的变化介导的。幼崽激素也会导致雌性永久分化为蚁后或工蜂。Robinson博士和Fahrbach博士正在使用这些系统来定义神经通路，通过这些神经通路，激素对大脑的作用会导致短暂或永久的行为变化。他们将研究在行为改变期间，青少年激素是如何影响神经发生或神经回路的。从长远来看，我们的目标是利用这个优秀的模型系统来提供学习和记忆是如何受到激素影响的信息。此外，蜜蜂是一种重要的农业昆虫。因此，对行为可塑性的更深入了解可能有助于其作为重要的农业传粉媒介的持续作用。

As individuals age and pass through different stages of life, their responses to the world around them change in both predictable and unpredictable ways. These changes often involve how well, how rapidly, and what an individual learns. One of the most challenging problems in biology is to understand how changes in brain structure relate to development of behavior in adults; of particular interest are age-related changes in behavior involving learning and memory. Dr. Robinson and Dr. Fahrbach will capitalize on exciting data that indicate changes in circulating juvenile hormone (JH) influence both the behavioral development of worker bees and the determination of caste. It is known that worker bees perform a complex series of behaviors during their short (20-42) days of life. Younger bees rear the next generation; middle-aged bees maintain the hive and guard the colony; the most mature bees forage outside of the hive for nectar and pollen. Foraging is an extremely demanding task involving learning and memory, and advanced forms of communication. These striking changes in behavior are mediated by changes in juvenile hormone. Juvenile hormone also causes the permanent differentiation of females into either queens or workers. Drs Robinson and Fahrbach are using these systems to define the neural pathway through which hormone action on the brain causes transient or permanent changes in behavior. They will investigate how juvenile hormone influences neurogenesis or neural circuitry during periods in which behaviors are changing. In the long term, the goal to use this excellent model system to provide information on how learning and memory are affected by hormones. In addition, the honey bee is an important insect for agriculture. Therefore, greater understanding of the plasticity of behavior may contribute its continual role as an important agricultural pollinator.