NeuroJC

Neuro* Journal Club at the Free University Berlin

Archiv der Kategorie 'biogenic amines'

Dopaminergic Modulation of Sucrose Acceptance Behavior in Drosophila

Prof. Jochen Pflüger will present the following paper on Monday (17/04): Marella, S., Mann, K., & Scott, K. (2012). Dopaminergic Modulation of Sucrose Acceptance Behavior in Drosophila Neuron, 73 (5), 941-950 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2011.12.032

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Coincident firing of neurons can specify a synapse for later modulation

Yet another fascinating Nature article from the research group around Gilles Laurent. This article is built around the mechanisms underlying associative learning and plasticity in the mushroom bodies in insects. The area is known to be crucial for associative learning of odors and contains up to hundreds of thousands of neurons called Kenyon cells. Here […]

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Critical role for protein kinase A in the acquisition of gregarious behavior in the desert locust

Posted on behalf of Hans-Joachim Pflüger: In the article by Ott et al. the role of two protein kinases (PK) in the population density dependent transition from solitarious to gregarious animals is investigated. Only gregarious locusts form large swarms that are harmful for agriculture. The foraging gene product, a cGMP-dependent PK (PKG), implicated in foraging, […]

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Effects of appetitive and nonappetitive odors on feeding behavior and on level of biogenic amines

A short communication was published in November 2011 (Neurobiologie) based on a study from 2005 (Journal of Neuroscience). In the blowfly Phormia regina, the authors investigated the effect on PER when flies are (pre-) exposed to odors. They found that feeding threshold to sugar increased in the presence of the repellent D-limonene and decreased in […]

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serotonin necessary for ARM memory phase

In a not so recent paper (January 2011), a nice report by Ann-Shyn Chiang group was published in PNAS. Authors use both pharmacology and genetic trick to show that serotonin is involved in an aversive olfactory memory phase called ARM. Serotonin seems released by the DPM neuron (together with the amnesiac neuropeptide?), and the information […]

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