Modulation of visual processing by flight behavior in Drosophila

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event Modulation of visual processing by flight behavior in Drosophila Gaby Maimon1* 1 The Rockefeller University, Lab of Integrative Brain Function, United States A good theory of a visual system would explain why information about the outside world is reflected by the activity of neurons in just the observed format and not some other format. Data for such theories typically come from presenting stimuli to quiescent animals. In nature, however, animals tend to move around their environment, which has two important consequences. First, natural stimuli will tend to have rich dynamics, prescribed by the statistics of how the retina and animal move. How such natural dynamics affect sensory-neuron responses has received some attention. Second, and perhaps less studied, is the possibility that the act of locomotion itself may change the state of the visual system, such that visual-neuron activity becomes more suited for guiding locomotion and less suited for the needs of a stationary animal. To study the influence of locomotion on visual processing –– and other higher brain processes down the road –– we developed an electrophysiological recording system in Drosophila. We obtain whole-cell patch clamp recordings from genetically identified neurons simultaneously with tethered-flight behavior in the same animal. In our initial experiments, we targeted the vertical-system visual neurons (VS cells) of the lobula plate. Our data revealed that VS cells show at least two, prominent, physiological modulations during flight: a tonic shift in the baseline membrane voltage and a strong boost of visually driven activity. Both these modulations are likely to change the chemically or electrically mediated synaptic output at the VS-cell terminals. When the animal stops flying, visual responses remain boosted for many seconds whereas the baseline membrane voltage returns to its pre-flight level immediately, suggesting that these two effects have separable underlying mechanisms. Functionally, one possibility is that stronger visual responses might allow for more accurate or faster locomotion-specific behavior. Because electrical signaling is energetically costly, the brain may also save energy by keeping cellular responses at a minimum when neurons are not actively being used to drive behavior. These results demonstrate the importance of studying visual neurons, and formulating visual-system theories, not only in the context of naturalistic sensory input but also in the context of ethologically relevant locomotor output. Keywords: Drosophila, flight, patch clamp, Vision, Neurophysiology, modulation Conference: Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology, College Park. Maryland USA, United States, 5 Aug - 10 Aug, 2012. Presentation Type: Invited Symposium (only for people who have been invited to a particular symposium) Topic: Neuromodulation Citation: Maimon G (2012). Modulation of visual processing by flight behavior in Drosophila. Conference Abstract: Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnbeh.2012.27.00067 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 04 Jul 2012; Published Online: 07 Jul 2012. * Correspondence: Dr. Gaby Maimon, The Rockefeller University, Lab of Integrative Brain Function, New York, New York, 10065, United States, maimon@rockefeller.edu Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Gaby Maimon Google Gaby Maimon Google Scholar Gaby Maimon PubMed Gaby Maimon Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.