Model systems are used to understand how the nervous system controls behavior. In this award, Dr. Roye will investigate the sensory and motor integration of a withdrawal behavior in an invertebrate. Identification of the motor nerve cells, the sensory nerve cells and the interneurons which interconnect the motor and sensory cells will lead to a greater understanding of the functional aspects of this behavior. Much of the research will be performed by undergraduates, who will make significant contributions to all aspects of the project and gain valuable experience in scientific research. The results obtained from this work on the form and function of the neural networks responsible for withdrawal behavior in an invertebrate model system will provide insight into the organization of neural networks that produce the more complex behaviors seen in organisms at higher levels of the phylogenetic scale.
