Neural pathways and neurogenesis in invertebrate nervous systems

我在神经系统的长期研究是针对简单的无脊椎动物神经系统，以确定神经细胞的电路，提供适应行为的机制。我们将扩展我们对神经组织组织的理解，并从识别的神经回路的动作中对简单行为进行因果分析。我们将在简单的神经系统、果蝇的中枢神经系统（CNS）和海洋祖先中研究这些，果蝇的中枢神经系统提供了强大的遗传分子和工具，海洋祖先揭示了我们在地球上的起源。在果蝇的大脑中，我们将使用各种形式的高分辨率电子显微镜来研究神经元的回路：a）蘑菇体（MB）的叶，输出区域，嗅觉学习和记忆所需的高级整合中心。我们将研究支配这些神经元的柄，组成突触微回路的发展，以及其内在神经元如何作为行为经验的结果而变化; B）触角叶，在那里，气味被编码在许多称为肾小球的小隔间的回路中。我们将检查已识别的肾小球中的微电路，MB输入神经元从其中产生，并在嗅觉条件反射后发生变化; c）苍蝇的生物钟中心;和d）中央大脑，这是唱歌和行走等模式行为所需的。B.在海洋物种中，我们将集中在典型的脊索中枢神经系统的蝌蚪幼虫的海鞘。我们将：a）检查损伤的已鉴定神经细胞对游泳的影响;和B）幼虫CNS的表型决定性，使用在神经递质基因启动子下表达的绿色荧光蛋白转染的幼虫，集中于游泳所依赖的肌肉的运动神经支配和幼虫之间的变化。我们还将映射的CNS细胞在远亲远海物种，使用抗体标记，共聚焦和电子显微镜，并根据资源，比较那些在两个urochordates与脊髓段的幼虫文昌鱼的电路。

My long-term research in the nervous system is directed towards simple invertebrate nervous systems, to the circuits of identified nerve cells that provide the mechanism for adaptive behaviours. We will extend our understanding of the organisation of neural tissues, as well as enable the causal analysis of simple behaviours from the actions of identified nerve circuits. We will examine these in simple nervous systems, in the central nervous system (CNS) of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, which provides access to powerful genetic molecules and tools, and in marine ancestors that shed light on our own origins on earth.A. In the fly's brain, we will use various forms of high-resolution electron microscopy to study circuits of neurons in: a) The lobes, output regions of the mushroom body (MB), a high-order integrative centre required for olfactory learning and memory. We will examine the stalk that innervates these, the development of constituent synaptic microcircuits, and how its intrinsic neurons change as a result of behavioural experience; b) the antennal lobe, where odours are encoded in the circuits of many small compartments called glomeruli. We will examine the microcircuits in identified glomeruli, from which MB input neurons derive, and changes after olfactory conditioning; c) the fly's biological clock centre; and d) the central brain, which is required for patterned behaviours such as singing and walking.B. In marine species, we will concentrate on the prototypical chordate CNS of the tadpole larva of the sea squirt. We will: a) examine the effects on swimming of damaging identified nerve cells; and b) the phenotypic determinism of the larval CNS, using larvae transfected with green fluorescent protein expressed under the promoters for neurotransmitter genes, concentrating on the motor innervation of the muscles underlying swimming and on variation between larvae. We will also map the cells of the CNS in a distantly related open sea species, using antibody labelling, confocal and electron microscopy and, depending on resources, compare those in both urochordates with the circuits in a spinal cord segment of larval lancelet.