Neural tuning for species-specific acoustic signals is a conserved feature of auditory systems; it is found from insects to humans. This proposal takes advantage of the genetic tools available in Drosophila to investigate, at the level of individual neurons and patterns of electrical activity, how such tuning arises and how it relates to behavioral outputs. Research findings will contribute to a larger understanding of how nervous systems process auditory information.
Flies communicate via species-specific courtship songs during their mating ritual. Songs are typically produced by males; females are faced with the task of recognizing song, based on its species-specific parameters, and choosing a particular mate, based in part on differences in song between conspecific individuals. The PI proposes to characterize the circuits that underlie this behavior by i) resolving the features of courtship song that drive mating, ii) characterizing, using in vivo imaging and electrophysiology methods, neural responses along the auditory pathway, and iii) determining the relationship between neural tunings and song preference by exploiting cross-species comparisons. As the fly auditory pathway remains unmapped past the receptor neurons, these studies will be among the first to reveal how sound is processed by the Drosophila brain. Ultimately, these results may shed light on mechanisms underlying acoustic perception in more complex nervous systems and may benefit studies of disorders (e.g., autism spectrum) that alter this process.
The research proposal is complemented by an education plan that is directed at inspiring the next generation of neuroscientists at the middle school, high school, and undergraduate levels, and at fostering the entrance and advancement of women in science. The PI will i) develop a new neuroscience course on the genetic and neural basis for behavior for Princeton undergraduates, ii) create a Fly Songs demonstration for area middle school students participating in the Princeton Science and Engineering Expo, and iii) initiate a new and intimate Science Scholars Workshop at Princeton for high school girls from nearby economically-underprivileged areas, providing them exposure to cutting edge research at the university level and encouragement to pursue careers in science, particularly in more computational disciplines.
