Jan Ache
Group Leader, Neurobiology and Genetics, University of Würzburg
“Neuronal mechanisms for sensorimotor flexibility”
Abstract: Animal behavior needs to be flexible to ensure survival in an ever-changing, complex world. For example, an animal under attack by an approaching predator needs to estimate the predator’s incoming trajectory, select an escape strategy based on this estimate, and act on it within milliseconds. Whether the best option is to run, freeze, or hide depends on the external context, and the animal’s internal state: Does the environment provide shelter? Are there sufficient energy reserves for a prolonged escape? The nervous system takes these and other parameters into account when selecting the optimal response to a sensory stimulus. Despite their ubiquitous importance, the neuronal mechanisms enabling such behavioral flexibility are poorly understood. My lab aims to shed light on these mechanisms by combining neurogenetics, connectomics, and in-vivo recordings of neuronal activity in Drosophila. We approach this problem from two angles: First, we identify and analyze sensorimotor circuits underlying critical behaviors, such as walking, flight, and feeding. Second, we study how neuromodulation confers flexibility to these circuits. In this talk, I will discuss both of these aspects. I will initially focus on the neuronal control of adaptive walking. In particular, I will discuss our recent work on two brain pathways which control the initiation and termination of walking, respectively. I will then discuss the role of insulin as a neuromodulator and our work on the neuronal control of insulin release. Here, I will focus on our recent discovery of a mechanosensory pathway that drives allostatic insulin release during feeding.