My long term goal is to understand the production and modulation of behaviors at the cellular level. Generation and modulation of coordinated rhythmic behaviors is a necessity for all types of organisms. For years, the crustacean STG has been a premier system with which to study the modulation of neural networks. The STG is sufficiently simple in its architecture to allow for indepth analysis of the workings of a neural circuit at the level of individual neurons, while retaining a complexity which allows generalization of basic principles to more complex nervous systems in which these issues are not so readily addressed. Many peptides are known to modulate the rhythmic motor patterns generated by neurons of the STG. Recent research has shown that activity dependent modulation of the rhythmic motor output takes place as well. However, only in the cases of a few modulators have the signal transduction pathways involved in the modulation begun to be investigated. The proposed work build on preliminary results and further investigate the role of CaM KII in the modulation of rhythmic motor outputs in the STG. I will: 1) Determine if CaM KII activity is necessary for the modulation of network activity by various neurotransmitters or neuropeptides in the STG; 2) Determine if neuromodulators or neuronal activity modulate the level of CaM KII activity or the ratio of Ca++-independent to Ca++-dependent CaM KII activity.
