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Jeffery KJ, Cheng K, Newcombe NS, Bingman VP, Menzel R. Unpacking the navigation toolbox: insights from comparative cognition. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20231304. [PMID: 38320615 PMCID: PMC10846957 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
The study of navigation is informed by ethological data from many species, laboratory investigation at behavioural and neurobiological levels, and computational modelling. However, the data are often species-specific, making it challenging to develop general models of how biology supports behaviour. Wiener et al. outlined a framework for organizing the results across taxa, called the 'navigation toolbox' (Wiener et al. In Animal thinking: contemporary issues in comparative cognition (eds R Menzel, J Fischer), pp. 51-76). This framework proposes that spatial cognition is a hierarchical process in which sensory inputs at the lowest level are successively combined into ever-more complex representations, culminating in a metric or quasi-metric internal model of the world (cognitive map). Some animals, notably humans, also use symbolic representations to produce an external representation, such as a verbal description, signpost or map that allows communication of spatial information or instructions between individuals. Recently, new discoveries have extended our understanding of how spatial representations are constructed, highlighting that the hierarchical relationships are bidirectional, with higher levels feeding back to influence lower levels. In the light of these new developments, we revisit the navigation toolbox, elaborate it and incorporate new findings. The toolbox provides a common framework within which the results from different taxa can be described and compared, yielding a more detailed, mechanistic and generalized understanding of navigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate J. Jeffery
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QB, UK
| | - Ken Cheng
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - Nora S. Newcombe
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
| | - Verner P. Bingman
- J.P. Scott Center for Neuroscience, Mind and Behavior, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403-0001, USA
- Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403-0001, USA
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Institute for Biology, Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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Bossong M, Budde D, Hauk A, Pahl I, Menzel R, Langguth P. Biosorption of process-equipment-related leachables (PERLs) in biomanufacturing: A quantitative approach to study partitioning of PERLs in a cell culture system. Int J Pharm 2023; 635:122742. [PMID: 36804518 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2023.122742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 02/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2023]
Abstract
The assessment and potential risk of process equipment-related leachables (PERLs) in the production of biopharmaceuticals and cell therapeutics using single-use (SU) equipment has been discussed previously. However, potential interactions of cells with PERLs have not yet been considered. Here, we present a quantitative adsorption study of neutral, organic small-molecule leachable compounds - known for extractables & leachables (E&L) analysis of SU equipment - in aqueous suspensions of CHO and T cells. The solid-water partition coefficient Kd was obtained for all compounds that showed adsorption. The findings implied that hydrophobic interactions are dominant; however, there was no unambiguous correlation between the derived adsorption coefficient Kd and the octanol-water partition coefficient Kow. Interestingly, a maximum affinity of both cell types to the leachable bis(2,4-di-tert-butylphenyl)phosphate, which is known to be detrimental to cell development, was observed. A comparison of both cell types revealed that they generally interact with the same compounds in most cases but to different extents. Using partition coefficients enables estimation of the concentrations of leachable compounds associated with the biomass phase and in the aqueous suspensions and could be used for risk assessment of SU systems in biopharmaceutical and cell therapy (CT) manufacturing processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Bossong
- Department of Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany; Sartorius Stedim Biotech GmbH, August-Spindler-Straße 11, 37079 Göttingen, Germany.
| | - D Budde
- Sartorius Stedim Biotech GmbH, August-Spindler-Straße 11, 37079 Göttingen, Germany
| | - A Hauk
- Sartorius Stedim Biotech GmbH, August-Spindler-Straße 11, 37079 Göttingen, Germany
| | - I Pahl
- Sartorius Stedim Biotech GmbH, August-Spindler-Straße 11, 37079 Göttingen, Germany
| | - R Menzel
- Sartorius Stedim Biotech GmbH, August-Spindler-Straße 11, 37079 Göttingen, Germany
| | - P Langguth
- Department of Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
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Bullinger E, Greggers U, Menzel R. Generalization of navigation memory in honeybees. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1070957. [PMID: 36950065 PMCID: PMC10025308 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1070957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Flying insects like the honeybee learn multiple features of the environment for efficient navigation. Here we introduce a novel paradigm in the natural habitat, and ask whether the memory of such features is generalized to novel test conditions. Foraging bees from colonies located in 5 different home areas were tested in a common area for their search flights. The home areas differed in the arrangements of rising natural objects or their lack, and in the existence or lack of elongated ground structures. The test area resembled partly or not at all the layout of landmarks in the respective home areas. In particular, the test area lacked rising objects. The search flights were tracked with harmonic radar and quantified by multiples procedures, extracting their differences on an individual basis. Random search as the only guide for searching was excluded by two model calculations. The frequencies of directions of flight sectors differed from both model calculations and between the home areas in a graded fashion. Densities of search flight fixes were used to create heat maps and classified by a partial least squares regression analysis. Classification was performed with a support vector machine in order to account for optimal hyperplanes. A rank order of well separated clusters was found that partly resemble the graded differences between the ground structures of the home areas and the test area. The guiding effect of elongated ground structures was quantified with respect to the sequence, angle and distance from these ground structures. We conclude that foragers generalize their specific landscape memory in a graded way to the landscape features in the test area, and argue that both the existence and absences of landmarks are taken into account. The conclusion is discussed in the context of the learning and generalization process in an insect, the honeybee, with an emphasis on exploratory learning in the context of navigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Bullinger
- Institut für Automatisierungstechnik, Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Uwe Greggers
- Neurobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Neurobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Menzel R. Navigation and dance communication in honeybees: a cognitive perspective. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2023:10.1007/s00359-023-01619-9. [PMID: 36799987 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-023-01619-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2022] [Revised: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023]
Abstract
Flying insects like the honeybee experience the world as a metric layout embedded in a compass, the time-compensated sun compass. The focus of the review lies on the properties of the landscape memory as accessible by data from radar tracking and analyses of waggle dance following. The memory formed during exploration and foraging is thought to be composed of multiple elements, the aerial pictures that associate the multitude of sensory inputs with compass directions. Arguments are presented that support retrieval and use of landscape memory not only during navigation but also during waggle dance communication. I argue that bees expect landscape features that they have learned and that are retrieved during dance communication. An intuitive model of the bee's navigation memory is presented that assumes the picture memories form a network of geographically defined locations, nodes. The intrinsic components of the nodes, particularly their generalization process leads to binding structures, the edges. In my view, the cognitive faculties of landscape memory uncovered by these experiments are best captured by the term cognitive map.
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Affiliation(s)
- Randolf Menzel
- Fachbereich Biologie, Chemie, Pharmazie, Institut Für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin Luisestr. 1-3, 14195, Berlin, Germany.
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Menzel R. In Search for the Retrievable Memory Trace in an Insect Brain. Front Syst Neurosci 2022; 16:876376. [PMID: 35757095 PMCID: PMC9214861 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2022.876376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The search strategy for the memory trace and its semantics is exemplified for the case of olfactory learning in the honeybee brain. The logic of associative learning is used to guide the experimental approach into the brain by identifying the anatomical and functional convergence sites of the conditioned stimulus and unconditioned stimulus pathways. Two of the several convergence sites are examined in detail, the antennal lobe as the first-order sensory coding area, and the input region of the mushroom body as a higher order integration center. The memory trace is identified as the pattern of associative changes on the level of synapses. The synapses are recruited, drop out, and change the transmission properties for both specifically associated stimulus and the non-associated stimulus. Several rules extracted from behavioral studies are found to be mirrored in the patterns of synaptic change. The strengths and the weaknesses of the honeybee as a model for the search for the memory trace are addressed in a comparison with Drosophila. The question is discussed whether the memory trace exists as a hidden pattern of change if it is not retrieved and whether an external reading of the content of the memory trace may ever be possible. Doubts are raised on the basis that the retrieval circuits are part of the memory trace. The concept of a memory trace existing beyond retrieval is defended by referring to two well-documented processes also in the honeybee, memory consolidation during sleep, and transfer of memory across brain areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Randolf Menzel
- Institute Biology - Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Leboulle G, Gehne N, Froese A, Menzel R. In-vivo egfp expression in the honeybee Apis mellifera induced by electroporation and viral expression vector. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0263908. [PMID: 35653376 PMCID: PMC9162312 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0263908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study we describe egfp expression induced by two techniques: in vivo electroporation and viral transduction in several cell types of the adult honeybee brain. Non-neuronal and neuronal cell types were identified and the expression persisted at least during three days. Kenyon cells, optic lobe neurons and protocerebral lobe neurons were electroporated. Astrocyte-like glia cells, fibrous lamellar glia cells and cortex glia cells were identified. Viral transduction targeted one specific type of glia cells that could not be identified. EGFP positive cells types were rather variable after electroporation, and viral transduction resulted in more homogenous groups of positive cells. We propose that these techniques remain a good alternative to transgenic animals because they potentially target only somatic cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gérard Leboulle
- Neurobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Nora Gehne
- Neurobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anja Froese
- Neurobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Neurobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Heinze S, El Jundi B, Berg BG, Homberg U, Menzel R, Pfeiffer K, Hensgen R, Zittrell F, Dacke M, Warrant E, Pfuhl G, Rybak J, Tedore K. A unified platform to manage, share, and archive morphological and functional data in insect neuroscience. eLife 2021; 10:65376. [PMID: 34427185 PMCID: PMC8457822 DOI: 10.7554/elife.65376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 08/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Insect neuroscience generates vast amounts of highly diverse data, of which only a small fraction are findable, accessible and reusable. To promote an open data culture, we have therefore developed the InsectBrainDatabase (IBdb), a free online platform for insect neuroanatomical and functional data. The IBdb facilitates biological insight by enabling effective cross-species comparisons, by linking neural structure with function, and by serving as general information hub for insect neuroscience. The IBdb allows users to not only effectively locate and visualize data, but to make them widely available for easy, automated reuse via an application programming interface. A unique private mode of the database expands the IBdb functionality beyond public data deposition, additionally providing the means for managing, visualizing, and sharing of unpublished data. This dual function creates an incentive for data contribution early in data management workflows and eliminates the additional effort normally associated with publicly depositing research data. Insect neuroscience, like any field in the natural sciences, generates vast amounts of data. Currently, only a fraction are publicly available, and even less are reusable. This is because insect neuroscience data come in many formats and from many species. Some experiments focus on what insect brains look like (morphology), while others focus on how insect brains work (function). Some data come in the form of high-speed video, while other data contain voltage traces from individual neurons. Sharing is not as simple as uploading the raw files to the internet. To get a clear picture of how insect brains work, researchers need a way to cross-reference and connect different experiments. But, as it stands, there is no dedicated place for insect neuroscientists to share and explore such a diverse body of work. The community needs an open data repository that can link different types of data across many species, and can evolve as more data become available. Above all, this repository needs to be easy for researchers to use. To meet these specifications, Heinze et al. developed the Insect Brain Database. The database organizes data into three categories: species, brain structures, and neuron types. Within these categories, each entry has its own profile page. These pages bring different experiments together under one heading, allowing researchers to combine and compare data of different types. As researchers add more experiments, the profile pages will grow and evolve. To make the data easy to navigate, Heinze et al. developed a visual search tool. A combination of 2D and 3D images allow users to explore the data by anatomical location, without the need for expert knowledge. Researchers also have the option to upload their work in private mode, allowing them to securely share unpublished data. The Insect Brain Database brings data together in a way that is accessible not only to researchers, but also to students, and non-scientists. It will help researchers to find related work, to reuse existing data, and to build an open data culture. This has the potential to drive new discoveries combining research across the whole of the insect neuroscience field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanley Heinze
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.,NanoLund, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Basil El Jundi
- Biocenter, Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Bente G Berg
- Department of Psychology, Chemosensory lab, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Uwe Homberg
- Fachbereich Biologie, Tierphysiologie, and Center for Mind Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Marburg, Germany
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Institut für Biologie - Neurobiologie, Free University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Keram Pfeiffer
- Biocenter, Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Ronja Hensgen
- Fachbereich Biologie, Tierphysiologie, and Center for Mind Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Marburg, Germany
| | - Frederick Zittrell
- Fachbereich Biologie, Tierphysiologie, and Center for Mind Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Marburg, Germany
| | - Marie Dacke
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Eric Warrant
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Gerit Pfuhl
- Department of Psychology, Chemosensory lab, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.,Department of Psychology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromso, Norway
| | - Jürgen Rybak
- Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Kevin Tedore
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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Paffhausen BH, Petrasch J, Wild B, Meurers T, Schülke T, Polster J, Fuchs I, Drexler H, Kuriatnyk O, Menzel R, Landgraf T. A Flying Platform to Investigate Neuronal Correlates of Navigation in the Honey Bee ( Apis mellifera). Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:690571. [PMID: 34354573 PMCID: PMC8329708 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.690571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Navigating animals combine multiple perceptual faculties, learn during exploration, retrieve multi-facetted memory contents, and exhibit goal-directedness as an expression of their current needs and motivations. Navigation in insects has been linked to a variety of underlying strategies such as path integration, view familiarity, visual beaconing, and goal-directed orientation with respect to previously learned ground structures. Most works, however, study navigation either from a field perspective, analyzing purely behavioral observations, or combine computational models with neurophysiological evidence obtained from lab experiments. The honey bee (Apis mellifera) has long been a popular model in the search for neural correlates of complex behaviors and exhibits extraordinary navigational capabilities. However, the neural basis for bee navigation has not yet been explored under natural conditions. Here, we propose a novel methodology to record from the brain of a copter-mounted honey bee. This way, the animal experiences natural multimodal sensory inputs in a natural environment that is familiar to her. We have developed a miniaturized electrophysiology recording system which is able to record spikes in the presence of time-varying electric noise from the copter's motors and rotors, and devised an experimental procedure to record from mushroom body extrinsic neurons (MBENs). We analyze the resulting electrophysiological data combined with a reconstruction of the animal's visual perception and find that the neural activity of MBENs is linked to sharp turns, possibly related to the relative motion of visual features. This method is a significant technological step toward recording brain activity of navigating honey bees under natural conditions. By providing all system specifications in an online repository, we hope to close a methodological gap and stimulate further research informing future computational models of insect navigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin H Paffhausen
- Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Institute of Neurobiology, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Julian Petrasch
- Dahlem Center for Machine Learning and Robotics, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Institute of Computer Science, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Benjamin Wild
- Dahlem Center for Machine Learning and Robotics, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Institute of Computer Science, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thierry Meurers
- Dahlem Center for Machine Learning and Robotics, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Institute of Computer Science, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Tobias Schülke
- Dahlem Center for Machine Learning and Robotics, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Institute of Computer Science, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Johannes Polster
- Dahlem Center for Machine Learning and Robotics, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Institute of Computer Science, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Inga Fuchs
- Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Institute of Neurobiology, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Helmut Drexler
- Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Institute of Neurobiology, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Oleksandra Kuriatnyk
- Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Institute of Neurobiology, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Institute of Neurobiology, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Tim Landgraf
- Dahlem Center for Machine Learning and Robotics, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Institute of Computer Science, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Paffhausen BH, Petrasch J, Greggers U, Duer A, Wang Z, Menzel S, Stieber P, Haink K, Geldenhuys M, Čavojská J, Stein TA, Wutke S, Voigt A, Coburn J, Menzel R. The Electronic Bee Spy: Eavesdropping on Honeybee Communication via Electrostatic Field Recordings. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:647224. [PMID: 33994968 PMCID: PMC8115936 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.647224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
As a canary in a coalmine warns of dwindling breathable air, the honeybee can indicate the health of an ecosystem. Honeybees are the most important pollinators of fruit-bearing flowers, and share similar ecological niches with many other pollinators; therefore, the health of a honeybee colony can reflect the conditions of a whole ecosystem. The health of a colony may be mirrored in social signals that bees exchange during their sophisticated body movements such as the waggle dance. To observe these changes, we developed an automatic system that records and quantifies social signals under normal beekeeping conditions. Here, we describe the system and report representative cases of normal social behavior in honeybees. Our approach utilizes the fact that honeybee bodies are electrically charged by friction during flight and inside the colony, and thus they emanate characteristic electrostatic fields when they move their bodies. These signals, together with physical measurements inside and outside the colony (temperature, humidity, weight of the hive, and activity at the hive entrance) will allow quantification of normal and detrimental conditions of the whole colony. The information provided instructs how to setup the recording device, how to install it in a normal bee colony, and how to interpret its data.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Julian Petrasch
- Department Information Science, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Uwe Greggers
- Department Biology, Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Aron Duer
- Department Biology, Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Zhengwei Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Simon Menzel
- Department Biology, Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Peter Stieber
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Karén Haink
- Department Biology, Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Jana Čavojská
- Department Information Science, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Timo A Stein
- Complex and Distributed IT Systems, Technische Universtät Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sophia Wutke
- Department Biology, Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anja Voigt
- Department Biology, Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Josephine Coburn
- Department Biology, Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Department Biology, Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Collado MÁ, Menzel R, Sol D, Bartomeus I. Innovation in solitary bees is driven by exploration, shyness and activity levels. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:jeb232058. [PMID: 33443044 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.232058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Behavioural innovation and problem solving are widely considered to be important mechanisms by which animals respond to novel environmental challenges, including those induced by human activities. Despite their functional and ecological relevance, much of our current understanding of these processes comes from studies in vertebrates. Understanding of these processes in invertebrates has lagged behind partly because they are not perceived to have the cognitive machinery required. This perception is, however, challenged by recent evidence demonstrating sophisticated cognitive capabilities in insects despite their small brains. Here, we studied innovation, defined as the capacity to solve a new task, of a solitary bee (Osmia cornuta) in the laboratory by exposing naive individuals to an obstacle removal task. We also studied the underlying cognitive and non-cognitive mechanisms through a battery of experimental tests designed to measure associative learning, exploration, shyness and activity levels. We found that solitary bees can innovate, with 11 of 29 individuals (38%) being able to solve a new task consisting of lifting a lid to reach a reward. However, the propensity to innovate was uncorrelated with the measured learning capacity, but increased with exploration, boldness and activity. These results provide solid evidence that non-social insects can solve new tasks, and highlight the importance of interpreting innovation in the light of non-cognitive processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Á Collado
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Avd. Americo Vespucio 26, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
- CREAF (Centre for Ecological Research and Applied Forestries), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia E-08193, Spain
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Freire Universität Berlin, Institut für Biologie - Neurobiologie, Königin-Luise-Str. 28/30, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Daniel Sol
- CREAF (Centre for Ecological Research and Applied Forestries), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia E-08193, Spain
- CSIC (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia E-08193, Spain
| | - Ignasi Bartomeus
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Avd. Americo Vespucio 26, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
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Tison L, Duer A, Púčiková V, Greggers U, Menzel R. Detrimental effects of clothianidin on foraging and dance communication in honey bees. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0241134. [PMID: 33119662 PMCID: PMC7595294 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0241134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2019] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Ongoing losses of pollinators are of significant international concern because of the essential role they have in our ecosystem, agriculture, and economy. Both chemical and non-chemical stressors have been implicated as possible contributors to their decline, but the increasing use of neonicotinoid insecticides has recently emerged as particularly concerning. In this study, honey bees were exposed orally to sublethal doses of the neonicotinoid clothianidin in the field in order to assess its effects on the foraging behavior, homing success, and dance communication. The foraging span and foraging activity at the contaminated feeder decreased significantly due to chronic exposure at field-realistic concentrations. Electrostatic field of dancing bees was measured and it was revealed that the number of waggle runs, the fanning time and the number of stop signals were significantly lower in the exposed colony. No difference was found in the homing success and the flight duration between control and treated bees released at a novel location within the explored area. However, a negative effect of the ambient temperature, and an influence of the location of the trained feeder was found. Finally, the residues of clothianidin accumulated in the abdomens of exposed foraging bees over time. These results show the adverse effects of a chronic exposure to sublethal doses of clothianidin on foraging and dance communication in honey bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Léa Tison
- Institute of Biology-Neurobiology, Free University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Aron Duer
- Institute of Biology-Neurobiology, Free University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Vanda Púčiková
- Institute of Biology-Neurobiology, Free University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Uwe Greggers
- Institute of Biology-Neurobiology, Free University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Institute of Biology-Neurobiology, Free University, Berlin, Germany
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12
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Jin N, Paffhausen BH, Duer A, Menzel R. Mushroom Body Extrinsic Neurons in Walking Bumblebees Correlate With Behavioral States but Not With Spatial Parameters During Exploratory Behavior. Front Behav Neurosci 2020; 14:590999. [PMID: 33192371 PMCID: PMC7606933 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.590999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Central place foraging insects like honeybees and bumblebees learn to navigate efficiently between nest and feeding site. Essential components of this behavior can be moved to the laboratory. A major component of navigational learning is the active exploration of the test arena. These conditions have been used here to search for neural correlates of exploratory walking in the central arena (ground), and thigmotactic walking in the periphery (slope). We chose mushroom body extrinsic neurons (MBENs) because of their learning-related plasticity and their multi-modal sensitivities that may code relevant parameters in a brain state-dependent way. Our aim was to test whether MBENs code space-related components or are more involved in state-dependent processes characterizing exploration and thigmotaxis. MBENs did not respond selectively to body directions or locations. Their spiking activity differently correlated with walking speed depending on the animals' locations: on the ground, reflecting exploration, or on the slope, reflecting thigmotaxis. This effect depended on walking speed in different ways for different animals. We then asked whether these effects depended on spatial parameters or on the two states, exploration and thigmotaxis. Significant epochs of stable changes in spiking did not correlate with restricted locations in the arena, body direction, or walking transitions between ground and slope. We thus conclude that the walking speed dependencies are caused by the two states, exploration and thigmotaxis, rather than by spatial parameters.
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13
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Martínez-Harms J, Hadar R, Márquez N, Menzel R, Shmida A, Stavenga DG, Vorobyev M. Enhanced UV-Reflection Facilitated a Shift in the Pollination System of the Red Poppy, Papaver rhoeas (Papaveraceae). Plants (Basel) 2020; 9:plants9080927. [PMID: 32708009 PMCID: PMC7464000 DOI: 10.3390/plants9080927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2020] [Revised: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Evolutionary change is considered a major factor influencing the invasion of new habitats by plants. Yet, evidence on how such modifications promote range expansion remains rather limited. Here we investigated flower color modifications in the red poppy, Papaver rhoeas (Papaveraceae), as a result of its introduction into Central Europe and the impact of those modifications on its interactions with pollinators. We found that while flowers of Eastern Mediterranean poppies reflect exclusively in the red part of the spectrum, those of Central European poppies reflect both red and ultraviolet (UV) light. This change coincides with a shift from pollination by glaphyrid beetles (Glaphyridae) to bees. Glaphyrids have red-sensitive photoreceptors that are absent in bees, which therefore will not be attracted by colors of exclusively red-reflecting flowers. However, UV-reflecting flowers are easily detectable by bees, as revealed by visual modeling. In the North Mediterranean, flowers with low and high UV reflectance occur sympatrically. We hypothesize that Central European populations of P. rhoeas were initially polymorphic with respect to their flower color and that UV reflection drove a shift in the pollination system of P. rhoeas that facilitated its spread across Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaime Martínez-Harms
- Institut für Biologie-Neurobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise Str. 1–3, 14195 Berlin, Germany; (R.H.); (N.M.); (R.M.)
- INIA La Cruz, Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, Chorrillos 86, La Cruz 2280454, Chile
- Correspondence:
| | - Ravit Hadar
- Institut für Biologie-Neurobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise Str. 1–3, 14195 Berlin, Germany; (R.H.); (N.M.); (R.M.)
| | - Natalia Márquez
- Institut für Biologie-Neurobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise Str. 1–3, 14195 Berlin, Germany; (R.H.); (N.M.); (R.M.)
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Institut für Biologie-Neurobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise Str. 1–3, 14195 Berlin, Germany; (R.H.); (N.M.); (R.M.)
| | - Avi Shmida
- Department of Ecology, Evolution & Behaviour, Center for the Study of Rationality, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904, Israel;
| | - Doekele G. Stavenga
- Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, NL-9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands;
| | - Misha Vorobyev
- School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand;
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14
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Abstract
Sleep plays an essential role in both neural and energetic homeostasis of animals. Honey bees (Apis mellifera) manifest the sleep state as a reduction in muscle tone and antennal movements, which is susceptible to physical or chemical disturbances. This social insect is one of the most important pollinators in agricultural ecosystems, being exposed to a great variety of agrochemicals, which might affect its sleep behaviour. The intake of glyphosate (GLY), the herbicide most widely used worldwide, impairs learning, gustatory responsiveness and navigation in honey bees. In general, these cognitive abilities are linked with the amount and quality of sleep. Furthermore, it has been reported that animals exposed to sleep disturbances show impairments in both metabolism and memory consolidation. Consequently, we assessed the sleep pattern of bees fed with a sugar solution containing GLY (0, 25, 50 and 100 ng) by quantifying their antennal activity during the scotophase. We found that the ingestion of 50 ng of GLY decreased both antennal activity and sleep bout frequency. This sleep deepening after GLY intake could be explained as a consequence of the regenerative function of sleep and the metabolic stress induced by the herbicide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego E Vázquez
- Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE), CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - M Sol Balbuena
- Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE), CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Fidel Chaves
- Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE), CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Jacob Gora
- Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Walter M Farina
- Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE), CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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15
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Paffhausen BH, Fuchs I, Duer A, Hillmer I, Dimitriou IM, Menzel R. Neural Correlates of Social Behavior in Mushroom Body Extrinsic Neurons of the Honeybee Apis mellifera. Front Behav Neurosci 2020; 14:62. [PMID: 32372927 PMCID: PMC7186758 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.00062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The social behavior of honeybees (Apis mellifera) has been extensively investigated, but little is known about its neuronal correlates. We developed a method that allowed us to record extracellularly from mushroom body extrinsic neurons (MB ENs) in a freely moving bee within a small but functioning mini colony of approximately 1,000 bees. This study aimed to correlate the neuronal activity of multimodal high-order MB ENs with social behavior in a close to natural setting. The behavior of all bees in the colony was video recorded. The behavior of the recorded animal was compared with other hive mates and no significant differences were found. Changes in the spike rate appeared before, during or after social interactions. The time window of the strongest effect on spike rate changes ranged from 1 s to 2 s before and after the interaction, depending on the individual animal and recorded neuron. The highest spike rates occurred when the experimental animal was situated close to a hive mate. The variance of the spike rates was analyzed as a proxy for high order multi-unit processing. Comparing randomly selected time windows with those in which the recorded animal performed social interactions showed a significantly increased spike rate variance during social interactions. The experimental set-up employed for this study offers a powerful opportunity to correlate neuronal activity with intrinsically motivated behavior of socially interacting animals. We conclude that the recorded MB ENs are potentially involved in initiating and controlling social interactions in honeybees.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Randolf Menzel
- Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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16
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Menzel R. The Waggle Dance as an Intended Flight: A Cognitive Perspective. Insects 2019; 10:insects10120424. [PMID: 31775270 PMCID: PMC6955924 DOI: 10.3390/insects10120424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2019] [Revised: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The notion of the waggle dance simulating a flight towards a goal in a walking pattern has been proposed in the context of evolutionary considerations. Behavioral components, like its arousing effect on the social community, the attention of hive mates induced by this behavior, the direction of the waggle run relative to the sun azimuth or to gravity, as well as the number of waggles per run, have been tentatively related to peculiar behavioral patterns in both solitary and social insect species and are thought to reflect phylogenetic pre-adaptations. Here, I ask whether these thoughts can be substantiated from a functional perspective. Communication in the waggle dance is a group phenomenon involving the dancer and the followers that perform partially overlapping movements encoding and decoding the message respectively. It is thus assumed that the dancer and follower perform close cognitive processes. This provides us with access to these cognitive processes during dance communication because the follower can be tested in its flight performance when it becomes a recruit. I argue that the dance message and the landscape experience are processed in the same navigational memory, allowing the bee to fly novel direct routes, a property understood as an indication of a cognitive map.
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Affiliation(s)
- Randolf Menzel
- Institut für Neurobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin Luisestr. 1-3, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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17
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Tison L, Rößner A, Gerschewski S, Menzel R. The neonicotinoid clothianidin impairs memory processing in honey bees. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2019; 180:139-145. [PMID: 31082577 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2019.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2019] [Revised: 04/25/2019] [Accepted: 05/02/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Neonicotinoids act as agonists on the nicotinic Acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) in insect brains, an essential molecular component of central brain structures involved in learning and memory formation. Sublethal doses might, therefore, impair neural processes necessary for adaptive experience dependent behaviour and thus reduce the fitness of pollinating insects on the individual and community level. First, the question was addressed whether clothianidin has an aversive taste for honey bees and concluded with both a laboratory and a semi-field experiment that bees are unable to distinguish between control and contaminated sucrose solutions. In the laboratory, proboscis extension response conditioning was performed with forager bees exposed to different concentrations of clothianidin (0.1, 0.3 and 0.8 ng/bee) before learning, after learning during memory consolidation, and just before memory retention. These tests at different timings allowed uncovering an impairment of the consolidation and retrieval of memory due to the exposure to clothianidin. It was concluded that an acute exposure to clothianidin has an adverse effect on memory processing in honey bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Léa Tison
- Institute of Biology-Neurobiology, Free University Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 28/30, 14195, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Alexander Rößner
- Institute of Biology-Neurobiology, Free University Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 28/30, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Susan Gerschewski
- Institute of Biology-Neurobiology, Free University Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 28/30, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Institute of Biology-Neurobiology, Free University Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 28/30, 14195, Berlin, Germany
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18
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Zwaka H, Bartels R, Lehfeldt S, Jusyte M, Hantke S, Menzel S, Gora J, Alberdi R, Menzel R. Learning and Its Neural Correlates in a Virtual Environment for Honeybees. Front Behav Neurosci 2019; 12:279. [PMID: 30740045 PMCID: PMC6355692 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The search for neural correlates of operant and observational learning requires a combination of two (experimental) conditions that are very difficult to combine: stable recording from high order neurons and free movement of the animal in a rather natural environment. We developed a virtual environment (VE) that simulates a simplified 3D world for honeybees walking stationary on an air-supported spherical treadmill. We show that honeybees perceive the stimuli in the VE as meaningful by transferring learned information from free flight to the virtual world. In search for neural correlates of learning in the VE, mushroom body extrinsic neurons were recorded over days during learning. We found changes in the neural activity specific to the rewarded and unrewarded visual stimuli. Our results suggest an involvement of the mushroom body extrinsic neurons in operant learning in the honeybee (Apis mellifera).
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Zwaka
- Department of Biology and Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Ruth Bartels
- Department of Biology and Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sophie Lehfeldt
- Department of Biology and Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Meida Jusyte
- Department of Biology and Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sören Hantke
- Department of Biology and Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Simon Menzel
- Department of Biology and Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jacob Gora
- Department of Biology and Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Rafael Alberdi
- Department of Biology and Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Department of Biology and Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Berlin, Germany
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19
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Menzel R, Tison L, Fischer-Nakai J, Cheeseman J, Balbuena MS, Chen X, Landgraf T, Petrasch J, Polster J, Greggers U. Guidance of Navigating Honeybees by Learned Elongated Ground Structures. Front Behav Neurosci 2019; 12:322. [PMID: 30697152 PMCID: PMC6341004 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2018] [Accepted: 12/07/2018] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Elongated landscape features like forest edges, rivers, roads or boundaries of fields are particularly salient landmarks for navigating animals. Here, we ask how honeybees learn such structures and how they are used during their homing flights after being released at an unexpected location (catch-and-release paradigm). The experiments were performed in two landscapes that differed with respect to their overall structure: a rather feature-less landscape, and one rich in close and far distant landmarks. We tested three different forms of learning: learning during orientation flights, learning during training to a feeding site, and learning during homing flights after release at an unexpected site within the explored area. We found that bees use elongated ground structures, e.g., a field boundary separating two pastures close to the hive (Experiment 1), an irrigation channel (Experiment 2), a hedgerow along which the bees were trained (Experiment 3), a gravel road close to the hive and the feeder (Experiment 4), a path along an irrigation channel with its vegetation close to the feeder (Experiment 5) and a gravel road along which bees performed their homing flights (Experiment 6). Discrimination and generalization between the learned linear landmarks and similar ones in the test area depend on their object properties (irrigation channel, gravel road, hedgerow) and their compass orientation. We conclude that elongated ground structures are embedded into multiple landscape features indicating that memory of these linear structures is one component of bee navigation. Elongated structures interact and compete with other references. Object identification is an important part of this process. The objects are characterized not only by their appearance but also by their alignment in the compass. Their salience is highest if both components are close to what had been learned. High similarity in appearance can compensate for (partial) compass misalignment, and vice versa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Randolf Menzel
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lea Tison
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Johannes Fischer-Nakai
- Fachbereich Biowissenschaften, Polytechnische Gesellschaft Frankfurt am Main, Institute für Bienenkunde, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - James Cheeseman
- Department of Anaesthesiology, Faculty of Medical and Health Science, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Maria Sol Balbuena
- Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE), CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Xiuxian Chen
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Tim Landgraf
- Dahlem Center of Machine Learning and Robotics, Institute for Informatics, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Julian Petrasch
- Dahlem Center of Machine Learning and Robotics, Institute for Informatics, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Johannes Polster
- Dahlem Center of Machine Learning and Robotics, Institute for Informatics, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Uwe Greggers
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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20
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Michels B, Zwaka H, Bartels R, Lushchak O, Franke K, Endres T, Fendt M, Song I, Bakr M, Budragchaa T, Westermann B, Mishra D, Eschbach C, Schreyer S, Lingnau A, Vahl C, Hilker M, Menzel R, Kähne T, Leßmann V, Dityatev A, Wessjohann L, Gerber B. Memory enhancement by ferulic acid ester across species. Sci Adv 2018; 4:eaat6994. [PMID: 30417089 PMCID: PMC6224069 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aat6994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Accepted: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Cognitive impairments can be devastating for quality of life, and thus, preventing or counteracting them is of great value. To this end, the present study exploits the potential of the plant Rhodiola rosea and identifies the constituent ferulic acid eicosyl ester [icosyl-(2E)-3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-prop-2-enoate (FAE-20)] as a memory enhancer. We show that food supplementation with dried root material from R. rosea dose-dependently improves odor-taste reward associative memory scores in larval Drosophila and prevents the age-related decline of this appetitive memory in adult flies. Task-relevant sensorimotor faculties remain unaltered. From a parallel approach, a list of candidate compounds has been derived, including R. rosea-derived FAE-20. Here, we show that both R. rosea-derived FAE-20 and synthetic FAE-20 are effective as memory enhancers in larval Drosophila. Synthetic FAE-20 also partially compensates for age-related memory decline in adult flies, as well as genetically induced early-onset loss of memory function in young flies. Furthermore, it increases excitability in mouse hippocampal CA1 neurons, leads to more stable context-shock aversive associative memory in young adult (3-month-old) mice, and increases memory scores in old (>2-year-old) mice. Given these effects, and given the utility of R. rosea-the plant from which we discovered FAE-20-as a memory enhancer, these results may hold potential for clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birgit Michels
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Department Genetics of Learning and Memory, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Hanna Zwaka
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Department Genetics of Learning and Memory, Magdeburg, Germany
- Free University Berlin, Institute of Neurobiology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ruth Bartels
- Free University Berlin, Institute of Neurobiology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Oleh Lushchak
- Precarpathian National University, Department of Biochemistry, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine
| | - Katrin Franke
- Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB), Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Thomas Endres
- Otto von Guericke University, Medical Faculty, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Markus Fendt
- Otto von Guericke University, Medical Faculty, Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Inseon Song
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Molecular Neuroplasticity Group, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - May Bakr
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Molecular Neuroplasticity Group, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Tuvshinjargal Budragchaa
- Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB), Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Bernhard Westermann
- Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB), Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Dushyant Mishra
- University of Würzburg, Biocenter Am Hubland, Department of Genetics and Neurobiology, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Claire Eschbach
- University of Würzburg, Biocenter Am Hubland, Department of Genetics and Neurobiology, Würzburg, Germany
| | | | - Annika Lingnau
- Free University Berlin, Institute of Neurobiology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Caroline Vahl
- Free University Berlin, Institute of Neurobiology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marike Hilker
- Free University Berlin, Institute of Neurobiology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Free University Berlin, Institute of Neurobiology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thilo Kähne
- Otto von Guericke University, Institute of Experimental Internal Medicine, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Volkmar Leßmann
- Otto von Guericke University, Medical Faculty, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Alexander Dityatev
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Molecular Neuroplasticity Group, Magdeburg, Germany
- Otto von Guericke University, Medical Faculty, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Ludger Wessjohann
- Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB), Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Bertram Gerber
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Department Genetics of Learning and Memory, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
- Otto von Guericke University, Institute of Biology, Magdeburg, Germany
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21
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Zwaka H, Bartels R, Grünewald B, Menzel R. Neural Organization of A3 Mushroom Body Extrinsic Neurons in the Honeybee Brain. Front Neuroanat 2018; 12:57. [PMID: 30127725 PMCID: PMC6089341 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2018.00057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2018] [Accepted: 06/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In the insect brain, the mushroom body is a higher order brain area that is key to memory formation and sensory processing. Mushroom body (MB) extrinsic neurons leaving the output region of the MB, the lobes and the peduncle, are thought to be especially important in these processes. In the honeybee brain, a distinct class of MB extrinsic neurons, A3 neurons, are implicated in playing a role in learning. Their MB arborisations are either restricted to the lobes and the peduncle, here called A3 lobe connecting neurons, or they provide feedback information from the lobes to the input region of the MB, the calyces, here called A3 feedback neurons. In this study, we analyzed the morphology of individual A3 lobe connecting and feedback neurons using confocal imaging. A3 feedback neurons were previously assumed to innervate each lip compartment homogenously. We demonstrate here that A3 feedback neurons do not innervate whole subcompartments, but rather innervate zones of varying sizes in the MB lip, collar, and basal ring. We describe for the first time the anatomical details of A3 lobe connecting neurons and show that their connection pattern in the lobes resemble those of A3 feedback cells. Previous studies showed that A3 feedback neurons mostly connect zones of the vertical lobe that receive input from Kenyon cells of distinct calycal subcompartments with the corresponding subcompartments of the calyces. We can show that this also applies to the neck of the peduncle and the medial lobe, where both types of A3 neurons arborize only in corresponding zones in the calycal subcompartments. Some A3 lobe connecting neurons however connect multiple vertical lobe areas. Contrarily, in the medial lobe, the A3 neurons only innervate one division. We found evidence for both input and output areas in the vertical lobe. Thus, A3 neurons are more diverse than previously thought. The understanding of their detailed anatomy might enable us to derive circuit models for learning and memory and test physiological data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Zwaka
- Institute of Neurobiology, Free University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Ruth Bartels
- Institute of Neurobiology, Free University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Bernd Grünewald
- Institut für Bienenkunde Oberursel, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Institute of Neurobiology, Free University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Berlin, Germany
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22
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Müller J, Nawrot M, Menzel R, Landgraf T. A neural network model for familiarity and context learning during honeybee foraging flights. Biol Cybern 2018; 112:113-126. [PMID: 28917001 DOI: 10.1007/s00422-017-0732-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2017] [Accepted: 08/30/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
How complex is the memory structure that honeybees use to navigate? Recently, an insect-inspired parsimonious spiking neural network model was proposed that enabled simulated ground-moving agents to follow learned routes. We adapted this model to flying insects and evaluate the route following performance in three different worlds with gradually decreasing object density. In addition, we propose an extension to the model to enable the model to associate sensory input with a behavioral context, such as foraging or homing. The spiking neural network model makes use of a sparse stimulus representation in the mushroom body and reward-based synaptic plasticity at its output synapses. In our experiments, simulated bees were able to navigate correctly even when panoramic cues were missing. The context extension we propose enabled agents to successfully discriminate partly overlapping routes. The structure of the visual environment, however, crucially determines the success rate. We find that the model fails more often in visually rich environments due to the overlap of features represented by the Kenyon cell layer. Reducing the landmark density improves the agents route following performance. In very sparse environments, we find that extended landmarks, such as roads or field edges, may help the agent stay on its route, but often act as strong distractors yielding poor route following performance. We conclude that the presented model is valid for simple route following tasks and may represent one component of insect navigation. Additional components might still be necessary for guidance and action selection while navigating along different memorized routes in complex natural environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jurek Müller
- Institute for Computer Science, Free University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Martin Nawrot
- Computational Systems Neuroscience, Institute for Zoology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Institute for Neurobiology, Free University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Tim Landgraf
- Institute for Computer Science, Free University Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
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Strube-Bloss MF, Nawrot MP, Menzel R. Neural correlates of side-specific odour memory in mushroom body output neurons. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 283:rspb.2016.1270. [PMID: 27974514 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.1270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2016] [Accepted: 11/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans and other mammals as well as honeybees learn a unilateral association between an olfactory stimulus presented to one side and a reward. In all of them, the learned association can be behaviourally retrieved via contralateral stimulation, suggesting inter-hemispheric communication. However, the underlying neuronal circuits are largely unknown and neural correlates of across-brain-side plasticity have yet not been demonstrated. We report neural plasticity that reflects lateral integration after side-specific odour reward conditioning. Mushroom body output neurons that did not respond initially to contralateral olfactory stimulation developed a unique and stable representation of the rewarded compound stimulus (side and odour) predicting its value during memory retention. The encoding of the reward-associated compound stimulus is delayed by about 40 ms compared with unrewarded neural activity, indicating an increased computation time for the read-out after lateral integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin F Strube-Bloss
- Department of Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology, Theodor-Boveri-Institute of Bioscience, Biocenter University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Martin P Nawrot
- Martin Paul Nawrot, Computational Systems Neuroscience, Institute for Zoology, Department of Biology, University of Cologne, Biocenter University of Cologne, Zülpicher Straße 47b, 50674 Cologne, Germany
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Randolf Menzel, Institut für Biologie-Neurobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 28/30, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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24
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Tison L, Holtz S, Adeoye A, Kalkan Ö, Irmisch NS, Lehmann N, Menzel R. Effects of sublethal doses of thiacloprid and its formulation Calypso ® on the learning and memory performance of honey bees. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 220:3695-3705. [PMID: 28819056 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.154518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2016] [Accepted: 08/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Learning and memory play a central role in the behavior and communication of foraging bees. We have previously shown that chronic uptake of the neonicotinoid thiacloprid affects the behavior of honey bees in the field. Foraging behavior, homing success, navigation performance and social communication were impaired. Thiacloprid collected at a feeding site at low doses accumulates in foragers over time. Here, we applied a laboratory standard procedure (the proboscis-extension response conditioning) in order to assess which processes, acquisition, memory consolidation and/or memory retrieval were compromised after bees were fed either with thiacloprid or the formulation of thiacloprid named Calypso® at different sublethal doses. Extinction and generalization tests allowed us to investigate whether bees respond to a learned stimulus, and how selectively. We showed that thiacloprid, as active substance and as formulation, poses a substantial risk to honey bees by disrupting learning and memory functions. These data support and specify the data collected in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Léa Tison
- Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Institute of Biology-Neurobiology, Free University, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Sophie Holtz
- Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Institute of Biology-Neurobiology, Free University, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Amy Adeoye
- Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Institute of Biology-Neurobiology, Free University, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Önder Kalkan
- Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Institute of Biology-Neurobiology, Free University, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Nina S Irmisch
- Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Institute of Biology-Neurobiology, Free University, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Nadja Lehmann
- Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Institute of Biology-Neurobiology, Free University, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Institute of Biology-Neurobiology, Free University, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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25
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Chakroborty NK, Menzel R, Schubert M. Environment-specific modulation of odorant representations in the honeybee brain. Eur J Neurosci 2016; 44:3080-3093. [PMID: 27748970 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2015] [Revised: 10/05/2016] [Accepted: 10/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Ca2+ imaging techniques were applied to investigate the neuronal behavior of projection neurons in the honeybee antennal lobe (AL) to examine the effects of long-lasting adaptation on odorant coding. Responses to eight test odorants were measured before, during, and after an odor adaptation phase. Bees were exposed to the adapting odor for 30 min. Test odorant responses were only recorded from a sub-population of accessible glomeruli on the AL surface. Projection neurons, the output neurons of the antennal lobes, are projecting through the lateral, mediolateral, and medial AL tract to higher centers of the olfactory pathway. Due to our staining techniques, we primarily focused our study on projection neurons going through the lateral and medial tract. Test odorants comprised compounds with different functional groups (alcohol, aldehyde, ketone, and ester) representing floral and/or pheromone odorants. Strength and discriminability between combinatorial activity patterns induced by the test odorants were quantified. In two independent experiments, we investigated one group of animals adapted to a colony odor and another adapted to a synthetic odor. Within the experimental groups, we found test odorant responses either decreased or increased in AL projection neurons. Additionally, the discriminability between test odorant patterns became less distinct in the colony odor experiment and more distinct during adaptation in the synthetic mixture experiment. These results are interpreted as odor dependent adaptation effects, increasing or decreasing response strength and discriminability by altered neural coding mechanisms in the AL neuropile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neloy Kumar Chakroborty
- Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Institute of Biology/Neurobiology, Free University Berlin, Königin-Luise-Strasse 28/30, 14195, Berlin, Germany.,Indian Statistical Institute, Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) Unit, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Institute of Biology/Neurobiology, Free University Berlin, Königin-Luise-Strasse 28/30, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marco Schubert
- Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Institute of Biology/Neurobiology, Free University Berlin, Königin-Luise-Strasse 28/30, 14195, Berlin, Germany
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26
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Zwaka H, Münch D, Manz G, Menzel R, Rybak J. The Circuitry of Olfactory Projection Neurons in the Brain of the Honeybee, Apis mellifera. Front Neuroanat 2016; 10:90. [PMID: 27746723 PMCID: PMC5040750 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2016.00090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2016] [Accepted: 09/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In the honeybee brain, two prominent tracts - the medial and the lateral antennal lobe tract - project from the primary olfactory center, the antennal lobes (ALs), to the central brain, the mushroom bodies (MBs), and the protocerebral lobe (PL). Intracellularly stained uniglomerular projection neurons were reconstructed, registered to the 3D honeybee standard brain atlas, and then used to derive the spatial properties and quantitative morphology of the neurons of both tracts. We evaluated putative synaptic contacts of projection neurons (PNs) using confocal microscopy. Analysis of the patterns of axon terminals revealed a domain-like innervation within the MB lip neuropil. PNs of the lateral tract arborized more sparsely within the lips and exhibited fewer synaptic boutons, while medial tract neurons occupied broader regions in the MB calyces and the PL. Our data show that uPNs from the medial and lateral tract innervate both the core and the cortex of the ipsilateral MB lip but differ in their innervation patterns in these regions. In the mushroombody neuropil collar we found evidence for ALT boutons suggesting the collar as a multi modal input site including olfactory input similar to lip and basal ring. In addition, our data support the conclusion drawn in previous studies that reciprocal synapses exist between PNs, octopaminergic-, and GABAergic cells in the MB calyces. For the first time, we found evidence for connections between both tracts within the AL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Zwaka
- Institute of Neurobiology, Free University BerlinBerlin, Germany; Abteilung Genetik von Lernen und Gedächtnis, Leibniz Institut für NeurobiologieMagdeburg, Germany
| | - Daniel Münch
- Neurobiology, University of Konstanz Konstanz, Germany
| | - Gisela Manz
- Institute of Neurobiology, Free University Berlin Berlin, Germany
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Institute of Neurobiology, Free University BerlinBerlin, Germany; Bernstein Center for Computational NeuroscienceBerlin, Germany
| | - Jürgen Rybak
- Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology Jena, Germany
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27
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Degen J, Kirbach A, Reiter L, Lehmann K, Norton P, Storms M, Koblofsky M, Winter S, Georgieva PB, Nguyen H, Chamkhi H, Meyer H, Singh PK, Manz G, Greggers U, Menzel R. Honeybees Learn Landscape Features during Exploratory Orientation Flights. Curr Biol 2016; 26:2800-2804. [PMID: 27693138 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2016] [Revised: 06/20/2016] [Accepted: 08/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Exploration is an elementary and fundamental form of learning about the structure of the world [1-3]. Little is known about what exactly is learned when an animal seeks to become familiar with the environment. Navigating animals explore the environment for safe return to an important place (e.g., a nest site) and to travel between places [4]. Flying central-place foragers like honeybees (Apis mellifera) extend their exploration into distances from which the features of the nest cannot be directly perceived [5-10]. Bees perform short-range and long-range orientations flights. Short-range flights are performed in the immediate surroundings of the hive and occur more frequently under unfavorable weather conditions, whereas long-range flights lead the bees into different sectors of the surrounding environment [11]. Applying harmonic radar technology for flight tracking, we address the question of whether bees learn landscape features during their first short-range or long-range orientation flight. The homing flights of single bees were compared after they were displaced to areas explored or not explored during the orientation flight. Bees learn the landscape features during the first orientation flight since they returned faster and along straighter flights from explored areas as compared to unexplored areas. We excluded a range of possible factors that might have guided bees back to the hive based on egocentric navigation strategies (path integration, beacon orientation, and pattern matching of the skyline). We conclude that bees localize themselves according to learned ground structures and their spatial relations to the hive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline Degen
- Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 28/30, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Andreas Kirbach
- Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 28/30, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Lutz Reiter
- Institut für Informatik, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustraße 9, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Konstantin Lehmann
- Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 28/30, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Philipp Norton
- Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 28/30, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Mona Storms
- Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 28/30, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Miriam Koblofsky
- Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 28/30, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Sarah Winter
- Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 28/30, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Petya B Georgieva
- Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 28/30, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Hai Nguyen
- Institut für Informatik, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustraße 9, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Hayfe Chamkhi
- Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 28/30, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Hanno Meyer
- Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 28/30, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Pawan K Singh
- Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 28/30, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Gisela Manz
- Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 28/30, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Uwe Greggers
- Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 28/30, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 28/30, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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28
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Schütt C, Bernheiden M, Grunwald U, Stelter F, Menzel R, Müller H, Fan X, Jack R. Implications for a general role of LPS-binding proteins (CD14, LBP) in combating bacterial infections. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.1177/09680519990050010601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
An invading pathogen must be held in check by the innate immune system until a specific immune response can be mounted. In the case of Gram-negative bacteria, the principal stimulator is LPS, a component of the outer membrane of the bacteria. In vitro LPS is bound by LBP and transferred to the LPS receptor CD14 on the macrophage surface. Binding to CD14 triggers an inflammatory response which is crucial for keeping an infection under control. In vitro, LBP mediates a response not only to LPS but also to intact Gram-negative bacteria. We show that whole Escherichia coli bacteria are recognised by CD14 on human monocytes, and subsequently may become phagocytosed. Although neither LBP nor CD14 interact with the heat inactivated, intact Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis both proteins form stable complexes with lipoteichoic acid derived from the bacterial cell wall. A brief exposure of B. subtilis to serum or antibiotics converts them into a form which can be recognised by CD14 in an LBP-dependent manner followed by phagocytosis. In preliminary experiments, it is shown that LBP is essential in vitro for the oxidative burst response of mouse macrophages induced by living Salmonella typhimurium as well as Staphylococcus epidermidis. Our results indicate that, in addition to CD14, LBP is also a pattern recognition element and is required to induce a rapid inflammatory response to Gram-negative as well as to Gram-positive bacteria and to initiate their phagocytosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. Schütt
- Institute of Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany, -greifswald.de
| | - M. Bernheiden
- Institute of Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - U. Grunwald
- Institute of Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - F. Stelter
- Institute of Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - R. Menzel
- Institute of Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - H.P. Müller
- Institute of Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - X. Fan
- Institute of Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - R.S. Jack
- Institute of Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
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Tison L, Hahn ML, Holtz S, Rößner A, Greggers U, Bischoff G, Menzel R. Honey Bees' Behavior Is Impaired by Chronic Exposure to the Neonicotinoid Thiacloprid in the Field. Environ Sci Technol 2016; 50:7218-7227. [PMID: 27268938 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6b02658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The decline of pollinators worldwide is of growing concern and has been related to the use of plant-protecting chemicals. Most studies have focused on three neonicotinoid insecticides (clothianidin, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam) currently subject to a moratorium in the EU. Here, we focus on thiacloprid, a widely used cyano-substituted neonicotinoid thought to be less toxic to honey bees and of which use has increased in the last years. Honey bees (Apis mellifera carnica) were exposed chronically to thiacloprid in the field for several weeks at a sublethal concentration. Foraging behavior, homing success, navigation performance, and social communication were impaired, and thiacloprid residue levels increased both in the foragers and the nest mates over time. The effects observed in the field were not due to a repellent taste of the substance. For the first time, we present the necessary data for the risk evaluation of thiacloprid taken up chronically by honey bees in field conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Léa Tison
- Free University Berlin , Institute for Biology-Neurobiology, D-14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Marie-Luise Hahn
- Free University Berlin , Institute for Biology-Neurobiology, D-14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Sophie Holtz
- Free University Berlin , Institute for Biology-Neurobiology, D-14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Alexander Rößner
- Free University Berlin , Institute for Biology-Neurobiology, D-14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Uwe Greggers
- Free University Berlin , Institute for Biology-Neurobiology, D-14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Gabriela Bischoff
- Julius Kühn-Institut , Institute for Bee Protection, D-14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Free University Berlin , Institute for Biology-Neurobiology, D-14195 Berlin, Germany
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Abstract
This review provides evidence for the enormous richness of insect behavior, its high flexibility, and the cross-talk between different behavioral routines. The memory structure established by multiple forms of learning represents sensory inputs and relates behaviors in such a way that representations of complex environmental conditions are formed. Navigation and communication in social hymenoptera are particularly telling examples in this respect, but it is fair to conclude that similar integrated forms of dealing with the environment will be found in other insects when they are studied more closely. In this sense, research addressing behavioral complexity and its underlying neural substrates is necessary to characterize the real potential of insect learning and memory. Usually, such an approach has been used to characterize behavioral simplicity rather than complexity. It seems therefore timely to focus on the latter by studying problem solving alongside and in addition to elemental forms of learning.
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Wang Z, Qu Y, Dong S, Wen P, Li J, Tan K, Menzel R. Honey Bees Modulate Their Olfactory Learning in the Presence of Hornet Predators and Alarm Component. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0150399. [PMID: 26919132 PMCID: PMC4769250 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0150399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2015] [Accepted: 02/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In Southeast Asia the native honey bee species Apis cerana is often attacked by hornets (Vespa velutina), mainly in the period from April to November. During the co-evolution of these two species honey bees have developed several strategies to defend themselves such as learning the odors of hornets and releasing alarm components to inform other mates. However, so far little is known about whether and how honey bees modulate their olfactory learning in the presence of the hornet predator and alarm components of honey bee itself. In the present study, we test for associative olfactory learning of A. cerana in the presence of predator odors, the alarm pheromone component isopentyl acetate (IPA), or a floral odor (hexanal) as a control. The results show that bees can detect live hornet odors, that there is almost no association between the innately aversive hornet odor and the appetitive stimulus sucrose, and that IPA is less well associated with an appetitive stimulus when compared with a floral odor. In order to imitate natural conditions, e.g. when bees are foraging on flowers and a predator shows up, or alarm pheromone is released by a captured mate, we tested combinations of the hornet odor and floral odor, or IPA and floral odor. Both of these combinations led to reduced learning scores. This study aims to contribute to a better understanding of the prey-predator system between A. cerana and V. velutina.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengwei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Yufeng Qu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Shihao Dong
- Eastern Bee Research Institute, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, China
| | - Ping Wen
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Jianjun Li
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Ken Tan
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
- Eastern Bee Research Institute, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, China
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Institute of Biology and Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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32
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Nawrot MP, D'Albis T, Menzel R, Strube-Bloss M. Neural representation of a spatial odor memory in the honeybee mushroom body. BMC Neurosci 2015. [PMCID: PMC4699064 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2202-16-s1-p240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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33
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Zwaka H, Bartels R, Gora J, Franck V, Culo A, Götsch M, Menzel R. Context odor presentation during sleep enhances memory in honeybees. Curr Biol 2015; 25:2869-2874. [PMID: 26592345 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2015.09.069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2015] [Revised: 09/28/2015] [Accepted: 09/30/2015] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Sleep plays an important role in stabilizing new memory traces after learning [1-3]. Here we investigate whether sleep's role in memory processing is similar in evolutionarily distant species and demonstrate that a context trigger during deep-sleep phases improves memory in invertebrates, as it does in humans. We show that in honeybees (Apis mellifera), exposure to an odor during deep sleep that has been present during learning improves memory performance the following day. Presentation of the context odor during wake phases or novel odors during sleep does not enhance memory. In humans, memory consolidation can be triggered by presentation of a context odor during slow-wave sleep that had been present during learning [3-5]. Our results reveal that deep-sleep phases in honeybees have the potential to prompt memory consolidation, just as they do in humans. This study provides strong evidence for a conserved role of sleep-and how it affects memory processes-from insects to mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Zwaka
- Institute of Neurobiology, Free University of Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 28-30, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Ruth Bartels
- Institute of Neurobiology, Free University of Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 28-30, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Jacob Gora
- Institute of Neurobiology, Free University of Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 28-30, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Vivien Franck
- Institute of Neurobiology, Free University of Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 28-30, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Ana Culo
- Institute of Neurobiology, Free University of Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 28-30, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Moritz Götsch
- Institute of Neurobiology, Free University of Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 28-30, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Institute of Neurobiology, Free University of Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 28-30, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience (BCCN) Berlin, Philippstraße 12, 10115 Berlin, Germany
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34
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Abstract
Glyphosate (GLY) is a herbicide that is widely used in agriculture for weed control. Although reports about the impact of GLY in snails, crustaceans and amphibians exist, few studies have investigated its sublethal effects in non-target organisms such as the honeybee Apis mellifera, the main pollen vector in commercial crops. Here, we tested whether exposure to three sublethal concentrations of GLY (2.5, 5 and 10 mg l(-1): corresponding to 0.125, 0.250 and 0.500 μg per animal) affects the homeward flight path of honeybees in an open field. We performed an experiment in which forager honeybees were trained to an artificial feeder, and then captured, fed with sugar solution containing traces of GLY and released from a novel site either once or twice. Their homeward trajectories were tracked using harmonic radar technology. We found that honeybees that had been fed with solution containing 10 mg l(-1) GLY spent more time performing homeward flights than control bees or bees treated with lower concentrations. They also performed more indirect homing flights. Moreover, the proportion of direct homeward flights performed after a second release from the same site increased in control bees but not in treated bees. These results suggest that, in honeybees, exposure to levels of GLY commonly found in agricultural settings impairs the cognitive capacities needed to retrieve and integrate spatial information for a successful return to the hive. Therefore, honeybee navigation is affected by ingesting traces of the most widely used herbicide worldwide, with potential long-term negative consequences for colony foraging success.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Sol Balbuena
- Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, IFIBYNE-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Pabellón II, Ciudad Universitaria (C1428EHA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Léa Tison
- Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Marie-Luise Hahn
- Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Uwe Greggers
- Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Walter M Farina
- Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, IFIBYNE-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Pabellón II, Ciudad Universitaria (C1428EHA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Filla I, Menzel R. Mushroom body extrinsic neurons in the honeybee (Apis mellifera) brain integrate context and cue values upon attentional stimulus selection. J Neurophysiol 2015. [PMID: 26224779 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00776.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Multimodal GABA-immunoreactive feedback neurons in the honeybee brain connecting the output region of the mushroom body with its input are expected to tune the input to the mushroom body in an experience-dependent way. These neurons are known to change their rate responses to learned olfactory stimuli. In this work we ask whether these neurons also transmit learned attentional effects during multisensory integration. We find that a visual context and an olfactory cue change the rate responses of these neurons after learning according to the associated values of both context and cue. The learned visual context promotes attentional response selection by enhancing olfactory stimulus valuation at both the behavioral and the neural level. During a rewarded visual context, bees reacted faster and more reliably to a rewarded odor. We interpreted this as the result of the observed enhanced neural discharge toward the odor. An unrewarded context reduced already low rate responses to the unrewarded odor. In addition to stimulus valuation, these feedback neurons generate a neural error signal after an incorrect behavioral response. This might act as a learning signal in feedback neurons. All of these effects were exclusively found in trials in which the animal prepares for a motor response that happens during attentional stimulus selection. We discuss possible implications of the results for the feedback connections of the mushroom body.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ina Filla
- Institute of Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Institute of Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Jin N, Klein S, Leimig F, Bischoff G, Menzel R. The neonicotinoid clothianidin interferes with navigation of the solitary bee Osmia cornuta in a laboratory test. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015. [PMID: 26206356 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.123612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Pollinating insects provide a vital ecosystem service to crops and wild plants. Exposure to low doses of neonicotinoid insecticides has sub-lethal effects on social pollinators such as bumblebees and honeybees, disturbing their navigation and interfering with their development. Solitary Hymenoptera are also very important ecosystem service providers, but the sub-lethal effects of neonicotinoids have not yet been studied well in those animals. We analyzed the ability of walking Osmia to remember a feeding place in a small environment and found that Osmia remembers the feeding place well after 4 days of training. Uptake of field-realistic amounts of the neonicotinoid clothianidin (0.76 ng per bee) altered the animals' sensory responses to the visual environment and interfered with the retrieval of navigational memory. We conclude that the neonicotinoid clothianidin compromises visual guidance and the use of navigational memory in the solitary bee Osmia cornuta.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nanxiang Jin
- Institut Biologie, Neurobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 28-30, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Simon Klein
- Institut Biologie, Neurobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 28-30, Berlin 14195, Germany Master Biosciences, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 46 Allée d'Italie, 69007 Lyon, France Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Université de Toulouse (UPS), 118 route de Narbonne, cedex 9 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Fabian Leimig
- Institut Biologie, Neurobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 28-30, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Gabriela Bischoff
- Institute for Ecological Chemistry, Plant Analysis and Stored Product Protection, Julius Kühn-Institut, Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Königin-Luise- Straße 19, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Institut Biologie, Neurobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 28-30, Berlin 14195, Germany
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Duer A, Paffhausen BH, Menzel R. High order neural correlates of social behavior in the honeybee brain. J Neurosci Methods 2015; 254:1-9. [PMID: 26192327 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2015.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2015] [Revised: 07/07/2015] [Accepted: 07/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Honeybees are well established models of neural correlates of sensory function, learning and memory formation. Here we report a novel approach allowing to record high-order mushroom body-extrinsic interneurons in the brain of worker bees within a functional colony. New method The use of two 100 cm long twisted copper electrodes allowed recording of up to four units of mushroom body-extrinsic neurons simultaneously for up to 24h in animals moving freely between members of the colony. Every worker, including the recorded bee, hatched in the experimental environment. The group consisted of 200 animals in average. RESULTS Animals explored different regions of the comb and interacted with other colony members. The activities of the units were not selective for locations on the comb, body directions with respect to gravity and olfactory signals on the comb, or different social interactions. However, combinations of these parameters defined neural activity in a unit-specific way. In addition, units recorded from the same animal co-varied according to unknown factors. Comparison with existing method(s): All electrophysiological studies with honey bees were performed so far on constrained animals outside their natural behavioral contexts. Yet no neuronal correlates were measured in a social context. Free mobility of recoded insects over a range of a quarter square meter allows addressing questions concerning neural correlates of social communication, planning of tasks within the colony and attention-like processes. CONCLUSIONS The method makes it possible to study neural correlates of social behavior in a near-natural setting within the honeybee colony.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aron Duer
- Institute of Biology, Neurobiology of the Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Randolf Menzel
- Institute of Biology, Neurobiology of the Freie Universität Berlin, Germany.
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Sol Balbuena M, Tison L, Hahn ML, Greggers U, Menzel R, Farina WM. Effects of sub-lethal doses of glyphosate on honeybee navigation. J Exp Biol 2015:dev.117291. [PMID: 26163579 DOI: 10.1242/dev.117291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Glyphosate (GLY) is a herbicide that is widely used in agriculture for weed control. Although reports about the impact of GLY in snails, crustaceans and amphibians exist, few studies have investigated its sub-lethal effects in non-target organisms such as the honeybee Apis mellifera, the main pollen vector in commercial crops. Here, we tested whether exposure to three sub-lethal concentrations of GLY (2.5, 5 and 10 mg/L corresponding to 0.125, 0.250 and 0.500 µg/animal) affects the homeward flight path of honeybees in an open field. We performed an experiment in which forager honeybees were trained to an artificial feeder, and then captured, fed with sugar solution containing GLY traces and released from a novel site (the release site, RS) either once or twice. Their homeward trajectories were tracked using harmonic radar technology. We found that honeybees that had been fed with solution containing 10 mg/L GLY spent more time performing homeward flights than control bees or bees treated with lower GLY concentrations. They also performed more indirect homing flights. Moreover, the proportion of direct homeward flights performed after a second release at the RS increased in control bees but not in treated bees. These results suggest that, in honeybees, exposure to GLY doses commonly found in agricultural settings impairs the cognitive capacities needed to retrieve and integrate spatial information for a successful return to the hive. Therefore, honeybee navigation is affected by ingesting traces of the most widely used herbicide worldwide, with potential long-term negative consequences for colony foraging success.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Sol Balbuena
- Grupo de Estudio de Insectos Sociales. Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, IFIBYNE-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Pabellón II, Ciudad Universitaria (C1428EHA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Léa Tison
- Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marie-Luise Hahn
- Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Uwe Greggers
- Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Walter M Farina
- Grupo de Estudio de Insectos Sociales. Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, IFIBYNE-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Pabellón II, Ciudad Universitaria (C1428EHA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Schallschmidt K, Becker R, Zwaka H, Menzel R, Johnen D, Fischer-Tenhagen C, Rolff J, Nehls I. In vitro cultured lung cancer cells are not suitable for animal-based breath biomarker detection. J Breath Res 2015; 9:027103. [PMID: 25667342 DOI: 10.1088/1752-7155/9/2/027103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
In vitro cultured lung cancer cell lines were investigated regarding the possible identification of volatile organic compounds as potential biomarkers. Gas samples from the headspace of pure culture medium and from the cultures of human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines A549 and Lu7466 were exposed to polypropylene fleece in order to absorb odour components. Sniffer dogs were trained with loaded fleeces of both cell lines, and honey bees were trained with fleeces exposed to A549. Afterwards, their ability to distinguish between cell-free culture medium odour and lung cancer cell odour was tested. Neither bees nor dogs were able to discriminate between odours from the cancer cell cultures and the pure culture medium. Solid phase micro extraction followed by gas chromatography with mass selective detection produced profiles of volatiles from the headspace offered to the animals. The profiles from the cell lines were largely similar; distinct differences were based on the decrease of volatile culture medium components due to the cells' metabolic activity. In summary, cultured lung cancer cell lines do not produce any biomarkers recognizable by animals or gas chromatographic analysis.
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Heuer A, Menzel R, Milonni PW. Induced coherence, vacuum fields, and complementarity in biphoton generation. Phys Rev Lett 2015; 114:053601. [PMID: 25699438 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.114.053601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
It is well established that spontaneous parametric down-conversion with induced coherence across two coupled interferometers results in high-visibility single-photon interference. We describe experiments in which additional photon channels are introduced such that "which-path" information is made possible and the fringe visibility in single-photon interference is reduced in accordance with basic notions of complementarity. However, these additional pathways result in nearly perfect visibility when photons are counted in coincidence. A simplified theoretical model accounts for these observations and attributes them directly to the vacuum fields at the different crystals.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Heuer
- Institute of Physics and Astronomy, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht Straß e 24-25, D-14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - R Menzel
- Institute of Physics and Astronomy, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht Straß e 24-25, D-14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - P W Milonni
- Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA
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Abstract
Spectral and spatial sensitivity were determined in several retinula cells of the worker bee eye during one penetration with a microelectrode. Pairs of retinula cells were found, which differed in their spectral sensitivity, but had nearly identical fields of view. From this result it is concluded that ommatidia in the worker bee eye are not colour specific, but consist of different colour receptor typs. The consequences for the functional organisation of the fused rhabdom are shortly discussed.
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Menzel R, Lange G. Änderungen der Feinstruktur im Komplexauge von Formica polyctena bei der Helladaptation / Ultrastructural Variations during Light Adaptation in the Complex Eye of Formica polyctena. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014. [DOI: 10.1515/znb-1971-0418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The dark adapted rhabdom is surrounded lengthwise by a wide margin of large vacuoles (“palisades”). The pigment granula within the retinula cells are uniformly distributed in the plasma outside of the palisades. Illumination of the eye with white light from a xenon-arc (15 · 10 -4 cal/cm2 · min) caused the pigment granula in the retinula cells to wander distally and to accumulate close to the rhabdom. The vacuole margin remained more proximal but was separated from the rhabdom by a wider plasma zone. After long-time illumination (30 min) the long pigment-cells expanded while the retinula cells simultaneously became thinner. Reference is made to the functional significance of these variations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Randolf Menzel
- Zoologisches Institut der Technischen Hochschule Darmstadt
| | - Gisela Lange
- Zoologisches Institut der Technischen Hochschule Darmstadt
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Menzel R, Chittka L, Eichmüller S, Geiger K, Peitsch D, Knoll P. Dominance of Celestial Cues over Landmarks Disproves Map-Like Orientation in Honey Bees. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014. [DOI: 10.1515/znc-1990-0625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
A recent model of landmark orientation by the bee assumes that the memory of the landmarks is arranged in a kind of a mental map. Our experiments disprove this assumption and show that the sun compass dominates the orientation without any indication of mental operations within a map-like representation of landmarks or of compass vectors and distances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Randolf Menzel
- Institut für Neurobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 28/30, D-1000 Berlin 33, Bundesrepublik Deutschland
| | - Lars Chittka
- Institut für Neurobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 28/30, D-1000 Berlin 33, Bundesrepublik Deutschland
| | - Stefan Eichmüller
- Institut für Neurobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 28/30, D-1000 Berlin 33, Bundesrepublik Deutschland
| | - Karl Geiger
- Institut für Neurobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 28/30, D-1000 Berlin 33, Bundesrepublik Deutschland
| | - Dagmar Peitsch
- Institut für Neurobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 28/30, D-1000 Berlin 33, Bundesrepublik Deutschland
| | - Peter Knoll
- Institut für Neurobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 28/30, D-1000 Berlin 33, Bundesrepublik Deutschland
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45
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Menzel R. The insect mushroom body, an experience-dependent recoding device. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 108:84-95. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jphysparis.2014.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2014] [Revised: 07/21/2014] [Accepted: 07/21/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Fischer J, Müller T, Spatz AK, Greggers U, Grünewald B, Menzel R. Neonicotinoids interfere with specific components of navigation in honeybees. PLoS One 2014; 9:e91364. [PMID: 24646521 PMCID: PMC3960126 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0091364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 182] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2013] [Accepted: 02/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Three neonicotinoids, imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiacloprid, agonists of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in the central brain of insects, were applied at non-lethal doses in order to test their effects on honeybee navigation. A catch-and-release experimental design was applied in which feeder trained bees were caught when arriving at the feeder, treated with one of the neonicotinoids, and released 1.5 hours later at a remote site. The flight paths of individual bees were tracked with harmonic radar. The initial flight phase controlled by the recently acquired navigation memory (vector memory) was less compromised than the second phase that leads the animal back to the hive (homing flight). The rate of successful return was significantly lower in treated bees, the probability of a correct turn at a salient landscape structure was reduced, and less directed flights during homing flights were performed. Since the homing phase in catch-and-release experiments documents the ability of a foraging honeybee to activate a remote memory acquired during its exploratory orientation flights, we conclude that non-lethal doses of the three neonicotinoids tested either block the retrieval of exploratory navigation memory or alter this form of navigation memory. These findings are discussed in the context of the application of neonicotinoids in plant protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Fischer
- Institut für Bienenkunde Oberursel, Polytechnische Gesellschaft Frankfurt am Main, Fachbereich Biowissenschaften, Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Teresa Müller
- Institut für Bienenkunde Oberursel, Polytechnische Gesellschaft Frankfurt am Main, Fachbereich Biowissenschaften, Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | | | - Uwe Greggers
- Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Bernd Grünewald
- Institut für Bienenkunde Oberursel, Polytechnische Gesellschaft Frankfurt am Main, Fachbereich Biowissenschaften, Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- * E-mail:
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Martínez-Harms J, Márquez N, Menzel R, Vorobyev M. Visual generalization in honeybees: evidence of peak shift in color discrimination. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2014; 200:317-25. [PMID: 24531535 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-014-0887-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2013] [Revised: 01/16/2014] [Accepted: 01/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
In the present study, we investigated color generalization in the honeybee Apis mellifera after differential conditioning. In particular, we evaluated the effect of varying the position of a novel color along a perceptual continuum relative to familiar colors on response biases. Honeybee foragers were differentially trained to discriminate between rewarded (S+) and unrewarded (S-) colors and tested on responses toward the former S+ when presented against a novel color. A color space based on the receptor noise-limited model was used to evaluate the relationship between colors and to characterize a perceptual continuum. When S+ was tested against a novel color occupying a locus in the color space located in the same direction from S- as S+, but further away, the bees shifted their stronger response away from S- toward the novel color. These results reveal the occurrence of peak shift in the color vision of honeybees and indicate that honeybees can learn color stimuli in relational terms based on chromatic perceptual differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Martínez-Harms
- Institut für Biologie, Neurobiologie, FU Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise Str. 28/30, 14195, Berlin, Germany,
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48
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Jacobs LF, Menzel R. Navigation outside of the box: what the lab can learn from the field and what the field can learn from the lab. Mov Ecol 2014; 2:3. [PMID: 25520814 PMCID: PMC4267593 DOI: 10.1186/2051-3933-2-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2013] [Accepted: 12/30/2013] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Space is continuous. But the communities of researchers that study the cognitive map in non-humans are strangely divided, with debate over its existence found among behaviorists but not neuroscientists. To reconcile this and other debates within the field of navigation, we return to the concept of the parallel map theory, derived from data on hippocampal function in laboratory rodents. Here the cognitive map is redefined as the integrated map, which is a construction of dual mechanisms, one based on directional cues (bearing map) and the other on positional cues (sketch map). We propose that the dual navigational mechanisms of pigeons, the navigational map and the familiar area map, could be homologous to these mammalian parallel maps; this has implications for both research paradigms. Moreover, this has implications for the lab. To create a bearing map (and hence integrated map) from extended cues requires self-movement over a large enough space to sample and model these cues at a high resolution. Thus a navigator must be able to move freely to map extended cues; only then should the weighted hierarchy of available navigation mechanisms shift in favor of the integrated map. Because of the paucity of extended cues in the lab, the flexible solutions allowed by the integrated map should be rare, despite abundant neurophysiological evidence for the existence of the machinery needed to encode and map extended cues through voluntary movement. Not only do animals need to map extended cues but they must also have sufficient information processing capacity. This may require a specific ontogeny, in which the navigator's nervous system is exposed to naturally complex spatial contingencies, a circumstance that occurs rarely, if ever, in the lab. For example, free-ranging, flying animals must process more extended cues than walking animals and for this reason alone, the integrated map strategy may be found more reliably in some species. By taking concepts from ethology and the parallel map theory, we propose a path to directly integrating the three great experimental paradigms of navigation: the honeybee, the homing pigeon and the laboratory rodent, towards the goal of a robust, unified theory of animal navigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia F Jacobs
- />Department of Psychology, University of California, Mailcode 1650, Berkeley, CA 94520-1650 USA
| | - Randolf Menzel
- />Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität, Königin-Luise-Strasse 28/30, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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49
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Farkhooi F, Froese A, Muller E, Menzel R, Nawrot MP. Cellular adaptation facilitates sparse and reliable coding in sensory pathways. PLoS Comput Biol 2013; 9:e1003251. [PMID: 24098101 PMCID: PMC3789775 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2013] [Accepted: 08/16/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Most neurons in peripheral sensory pathways initially respond vigorously when a preferred stimulus is presented, but adapt as stimulation continues. It is unclear how this phenomenon affects stimulus coding in the later stages of sensory processing. Here, we show that a temporally sparse and reliable stimulus representation develops naturally in sequential stages of a sensory network with adapting neurons. As a modeling framework we employ a mean-field approach together with an adaptive population density treatment, accompanied by numerical simulations of spiking neural networks. We find that cellular adaptation plays a critical role in the dynamic reduction of the trial-by-trial variability of cortical spike responses by transiently suppressing self-generated fast fluctuations in the cortical balanced network. This provides an explanation for a widespread cortical phenomenon by a simple mechanism. We further show that in the insect olfactory system cellular adaptation is sufficient to explain the emergence of the temporally sparse and reliable stimulus representation in the mushroom body. Our results reveal a generic, biophysically plausible mechanism that can explain the emergence of a temporally sparse and reliable stimulus representation within a sequential processing architecture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farzad Farkhooi
- Neuroinformatics & Theoretical Neuroscience, Freie Universität Berlin, and Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anja Froese
- Institute für Biologie-Neurobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Eilif Muller
- Blue Brain Project, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Institute für Biologie-Neurobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Martin P. Nawrot
- Neuroinformatics & Theoretical Neuroscience, Freie Universität Berlin, and Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Leboulle G, Niggebrügge C, Roessler R, Briscoe AD, Menzel R, Hempel de Ibarra N. Characterisation of the RNA interference response against the long-wavelength receptor of the honeybee. Insect Biochem Mol Biol 2013; 43:959-969. [PMID: 23933285 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2013.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2013] [Revised: 07/23/2013] [Accepted: 07/25/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Targeted knock-down is the method of choice to advance the study of sensory and brain functions in the honeybee by using molecular techniques. Here we report the results of a first attempt to interfere with the function of a visual receptor, the long-wavelength-sensitive (L-) photoreceptor. RNA interference to inhibit this receptor led to a reduction of the respective mRNA and protein. The interference effect was limited in time and space, and its induction depended on the time of the day most probably because of natural daily variations in opsin levels. The inhibition did not effectively change the physiological properties of the retina. Possible constraints and implications of this method for the study of the bee's visual system are discussed. Overall this study underpins the usefulness and feasibility of RNA interference as manipulation tool in insect brain research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gérard Leboulle
- Freie Universität Berlin, Institut für Biologie, Neurobiologie, Königin-Luise-Str. 28/30, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
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