Pheromones

The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is a model organism in genetics that has contributed significantly to our current understanding of neurology and behavioural biology. Upon optogenetic stimulation of freely moving lilli189Y-Gal4 > UAS-CsChrimson larvae, we observed increased aggregation of larvae compared to wildtype controls. Interestingly, larvae furthermore showed excessive feeding, even if toxic concentrations of additives were present. This culminated in aggressive behaviour where larvae started to devour conspecifics in the absence of other organic media. Stereotyped behavioural o

For many animals, the sense of olfaction plays a major role in controlling sexual behaviors. Olfaction helps animals to detect mates, discriminate their status, and ultimately, decide on their behavioral output such as courtship behavior or aggression. Specific pheromone cues and receptors have provided a useful model to study how sensory inputs are converted into certain behavioral outputs. With the aid of recent advances in tools to record and manipulate genetically defined neurons, our understanding of the neural basis of sexual and social behavior has expanded substantially. I will discuss

…organ neurons as sensors for mouse pheromones. In 2002 she began independent work at The Scripps Research Institute where she remains today. Her lab is leveraging the olfactory system to identify and study the information code that underlies emotion-linked innate behavior. She has been a Pew Scholar and a Senior Scholar in Neuroscience from the Ellison Medical Foundation.

…ability of specialized olfactory cues, pheromones, to specifically activate and therefore identify and study courtship circuits in the mouse. We are interested in identifying general circuit principles (specific brain nodes and information flow) that are common to all individuals, in order