Are the neural circuits controlling the temporal structure of spontaneous actions involved in operant self-learning?
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Are the neural circuits controlling the temporal structure of spontaneous actions involved in operant self-learning?
Variability is an adaptive and ubiquitous feature of all our behaviors, which is actively regulated according to task demands. Behavioral variability explains why under identical circumstances, individuals are able to initiate different actions. The amount of behavioral variability predicts operant learning performance (e.g., 1-3), because behavioral variability is a necessary prerequisite for operant learning. Tethered Drosophila fruit flies exhibit random-like turning attempts in stationary flight (4), which can be operantly conditioned (5). In a first screen, we have identified neurons in the ellipsoid body of the fly brain to be involved in the temporal structure of these spontaneous turning attempts. We have started a behavioral characterization of flies where these neurons have been genetically manipulated. In particular, we will present results of flies with compromised physiology in these ellipsoid-body neurons in operant self-learning and world-learning experiments. The behavioral experiments are complemented by anatomical characterization of the neurogenetically identified circuits using immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy.
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