Octopamine

Age-related decline in brain glucose utilization might stem from noradrenergic system dysfunction, which governs brain metabolism and could play a role in age-related cognitive decline. Noradrenaline released from these neurons triggers intracellular Ca2+ and cAMP signals in astrocytes, facilitating glucose uptake, glycogen degradation, and aerobic glycolysis, producing lactate as an end-product. During heightened brain activity, lactate is transferred from astrocytes to neurons to serve as fuel. The extent to which noradrenergic regulation of brain cell metabolism is impaired in aged brains a

Octopamine, the invertebrate analog of noradrenaline, induces locomotor activity in many invertebrate species. The position and structure of octopamine-synthesising neurons in the brain and ventral nerve cord of larval Drosophila have been documented using the expression patterns of tyrosine decarboxylase (TDC2+). Previous work documents that the larval locomotor network is composed of multiple rhythm generating networks that compete for dominance, with headsweep rhythm generators opposing forward rhythm generators. The role octopamine and TDC2+ neurons play in acute modulation and selection o

…for Drosophila, we have identified octopaminergic neurons as a key subset of neurons that are critical

…2014), and identified a role for octopamine in modulating motion vision duri

The development and maintenance of many tissues are fueled by stem cells. Many studies have addressed how intrinsic factors and local signals from neighboring niche cells maintain stem cell identity and proliferative potential. In contrast, it is poorly understood how stem cell activity is controlled by systemic, tissue-extrinsic signals in response to environmental cues and changes in physiological status. Our laboratory has been focusing on female germline stem cells (fGSCs) in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as a model system and studying neuroendocrine control of fGSC increase. The i

We are interested in understanding how microbes impact the behavior of host animals. Animal nervous systems likely evolved in environments richly surrounded by microbes, yet the impact of bacteria on nervous system function has been relatively under-studied. A challenge has been to identify systems in which both host and microbe are amenable to genetic manipulation, and which enable high-throughput behavioral screening in response to defined and naturalistic conditions. To accomplish these goals, we use an animal host — the roundworm C. elegans, which feeds on bacteria — in combination with it