Mulitdisciplinary Collaborative Research Project: Amines and Agonistic Behavior in Crustaceans

该提案的总体目标是了解神经激素在攻击性等复杂行为中所扮演的角色。该研究涉及来自3所大学的研究人员：E. A. Kravitz（哈佛医学院），D. H.爱德华兹（格鲁吉亚州立大学），和B。S. Beltz（韦尔斯利学院），他们使用甲壳类动物模型系统（龙虾，小龙虾）进行交互式研究。 甲壳类动物模型允许将行为分析带到所涉及的单个神经细胞的水平，这是高级形式不容易获得的优势。 这些研究集中在血清素上，这是一种从常见的氨基酸色氨酸中提取的胺，它与所有动物物种的攻击性有关。 他们探索了提高和降低血清素水平对战斗行为的影响，询问支配动物和从属动物中利用这种胺的神经元功能是否不同，并解决了这些神经元是否在个体蜕皮周期（每年的角质层脱落）中改变其特性的问题，沿着观察到的行为变化。攻击性是群居动物行为的普遍特征，是获得庇护所、食物和配偶所必需的。 在人类中，滥用这种权力的后果是众所周知的（科索沃就是一例）。 然而，尽管这种行为很重要，但对其神经机制知之甚少。 模型，就像这里使用的甲壳动物系统一样，提供了对这种复杂行为进行高度详细分析的可能性，从而产生了对其潜在神经根源的有价值的见解。

This proposal has the overall goal of understanding the roles served by neurohormones in a complex behavior, like aggression. It involves investigators from 3 universities: E. A. Kravitz (Harvard Medical School), D. H. Edwards (Georgia State University), and B. S. Beltz (Wellesley College) who use crustacean model systems (lobsters, crayfish) for their interactive studies. Crustacean models allow the analysis of behavior to be brought to the level of the individual nerve cells involved, an advantage not readily available in higher forms. The studies focus on serotonin, an amine derived from the common amino acid tryptophan, which has been implicated in aggression in all animal species. They explore the effects on fighting behavior of raising and lowering serotonin levels, ask whether neurons utilizing this amine function differently in dominant and subordinate animals, and address the question of whether these neurons change their properties over individual molt cycles (the annual shedding of the cuticle) along with behavioral changes that are seen. Aggression is a universal feature of the behavior of social animals, necessary for access to shelter, food and mates. Among humans, the consequences of its abuse are well known (witness Kosovo). Despite the importance of this behavior, however, little is known of its neural mechanisms. Models, like the crustacean systems used here, offer the possibility of highly detailed analyses of this complex behavior, thereby yielding valuable insights into its underlying neural roots.