Multidisciplinary Collaborative Research Project: Amines and Agonistic Behavior in Crustaceans

这一建议的总体目标是理解神经激素在复杂行为（如攻击）中所起的作用。它涉及来自3所大学的研究人员：E. A.克拉维茨（哈佛医学院）、D. H.爱德华兹（佐治亚州立大学）和B. S.贝尔茨（韦尔斯利学院），他们使用甲壳类动物模型系统（龙虾、小龙虾）进行互动研究。甲壳类动物的模型可以将行为分析提升到单个神经细胞的水平，这是高等动物所不具备的优势。研究的重点是血清素，这是一种从常见的氨基酸色氨酸中提取的胺，在所有动物物种中都与攻击性有关。他们探索了提高和降低血清素水平对战斗行为的影响，询问在优势和从属动物中使用这种胺的神经元是否有不同的功能，并解决了这些神经元是否在个体蜕皮周期（角质层每年脱落）中改变其特性以及所看到的行为变化的问题。攻击性是群居动物行为的普遍特征，是获得庇护、食物和配偶的必要条件。在人类中，其滥用的后果是众所周知的（以科索沃为例）。尽管这种行为很重要，但人们对其神经机制知之甚少。像这里使用的甲壳类动物系统这样的模型，提供了对这种复杂行为进行高度详细分析的可能性，从而对其潜在的神经根源产生了有价值的见解。

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.