Neural Mechanisms of Behavior

ZOL 313, May 20 2008

Neural Mechanisms of Behavior

ZOL 313, May 20 2008

Objectives:

1. Understand how neurons and simple neural networks function to influence animal behaviors.

2. Identify examples of stimulus filtering and be able to explain why it is biologically important.

3. Become familiar with some of the proximate mechanisms underlying animal navigation.

Neurons

Caenorhabditis elegans (worm): 302

Fruit fly: 300,000

Humans: 100,000,000,000

Neural Networks

Neural network example: moth detection of bat ultrasound

Central Pattern Generators

Example: Sea slug escape behavior

Stimulus filtering

Auditory SF Example Cricket auditory

receptors

Tactile stimulus filtering example: Cortical magnification in the star-nosed mole (Eimer’s organ)

Cortical magnification continued: sensory analysis

Visual stimulus filtering example: UV vision in birds & insects

Experiment:

Neural network location and function in humans

Face recognition: posterior fusiform gyrus

Navigation: right hippocampus

Neural mechanisms of navigation in animals

In order to know where to go, animal brains need:

1.

2.

Examples of cues animals can use:

Example: How do homing pigeons know where to go?

Experiment 1:

Experiment 2:

Example: how do sea turtles know where to go?

Experiment: