CiNet Monthly Seminar

June 28, 2019
15:00-16:00
CiNet 1F Conference Room

“Neural mechanism for evaluating love song in fruit flies”

Azusa Kamikouchi
Professor
Graduate School of Science
Nagoya University

Host: Masahiko Haruno (PI)

Abstract:

How are auditory signals evaluated in the brain? We use fruit flies as a model organism to tackle this question.
Male fruit flies emit “love songs” by vibrating their wings to attract female flies. To understand how song signals are evaluated in the fly brain, we study the features of the fly auditory system at the anatomical, physiological, and behavioral levels. Our anatomic analysis revealed the architecture of the auditory neural circuits in the fly brain, which are characterized by parallel information-processing pathways. By physiological analysis, we found an inhibitory feed-forward circuit that uses GABAergic system to tune the fly’s preference for the song carrying a conspecific rhythm. Our behavioral analysis showed that the song preference of flies is modulated dynamically by experiences, age, and social conditions. Experience-dependent tuning of song preference is mediated by GABAergic inhibition, which acts on neurons forming an integration node of courtship signals in the fly brain. I would like to discuss with the audience how the knowledge of the fly auditory system can contribute to the understanding of the auditory system in general.