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A Flight Sensory-Motor to Olfactory Processing Circuit in the Moth Manduca sexta
Samual P Bradley1, Phillip D Chapman1, Kristyn M Lizbinski1
1Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown WV, USA.
Frontiers in Neural Circuits
|February 25, 2016
Summary
Researchers discovered a novel neural circuit in moths connecting flight motor control to the olfactory system. This circuit, involving histamine-immunoreactive neurons, is incomplete before metamorphosis, suggesting a role in developing odor-guided flight.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Insect Physiology
- Sensory Processing
Background:
- Motor activity often modulates sensory pathways, influencing perception.
- Active sensory sampling behaviors, like insect flight, generate reafferent stimuli.
- Such motor-to-olfactory circuits were previously undescribed in any species.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize a neural circuit linking motor control of flight to the olfactory system in Manduca sexta.
- To investigate the developmental timing of this circuit's components.
Main Methods:
- Anatomical tracing of histamine-immunoreactive (HA-ir) neurons.
- Immunohistochemistry to identify receptor expression (MsHisClB) in the antennal lobe.
- Comparative analysis of larval and adult stages.
Main Results:
- Identified a pair of HA-ir neurons projecting from the flight motor center to specific antennal lobe glomeruli.
- Found exclusive expression of the histamine B receptor (MsHisClB) in GABAergic and peptidergic local interneurons within the antennal lobe.
- Observed the HA-ir neurons in larvae, but MsHisClB expression was absent until after metamorphosis.
Conclusions:
- Described the first known circuit connecting olfactory processing with flight motor control in Manduca sexta.
- The circuit's developmental immaturity before metamorphosis suggests a role in the emergence of flight-related behaviors.
- The functional significance of this olfactory-motor circuit requires further investigation.
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