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Related Experiment Videos

Circling behavior in honey bees.

D B Michelsen1, G H Braun

  • 1Freie Universität Berlin, Institut für Tierphysiologie (Neurobiologie), F.R.G.

Brain Research
|September 22, 1987
PubMed
Summary

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and acetylcholine (ACh) balance in honey bee mushroom bodies controls circling behavior. GABA induces contralateral circling, while ACh causes ipsilateral circling, suggesting a neurotransmitter-mediated motor control system.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Animal Behavior
  • Insect Neurobiology

Background:

  • Honey bee brain circuitry governs complex behaviors.
  • Mushroom bodies are crucial for learning and memory in insects.
  • Neurotransmitter systems play a key role in motor control.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and acetylcholine (ACh) in controlling circling behavior in honey bees.
  • To determine the specific brain regions and neuronal pathways involved in mediating this behavior.

Main Methods:

  • Unilateral microinjections of GABA, ACh, and related substances into specific bee brain regions.
  • Mechanical lesions of the pedunculus.
  • Intracellular recordings of neuronal activity in response to neurotransmitter application.

Main Results:

  • GABA and muscimol induced contralateral circling, while ACh, nicotine, and picrotoxin induced ipsilateral circling near the alpha-lobe.
  • Mechanical lesions of the pedunculus caused ipsilateral circling, reversible by GABA and flaxedil.
  • GABA hyperpolarized neurons, whereas ACh depolarized them in the alpha-lobe region.

Conclusions:

  • Circling behavior in bees is regulated by the balance of GABAergic and cholinergic neurotransmission within the mushroom body's alpha-lobes.
  • Acetylcholinergic neurons are involved in mediating this behavior, influenced by GABAergic input.

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