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On/Off pheromone signaling in moths as neural correlates of a search strategy| old_uid | 11682 |
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| title | On/Off pheromone signaling in moths as neural correlates of a search strategy |
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| start_date | 2012/10/04 |
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| schedule | 14h |
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| online | no |
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| summary | Insects and robots searching for odor sources in turbulent plumes face the same problem. The random nature of mixing causes fluctuation and intermittency in perception. Pheromone-tracking male moths appear to deal with discontinuous flows of information by surging upwind, upon sensing a pheromone patch, and casting crosswind, upon losing the plume. Using a combination of neurophysiological recordings, computational modeling and experiments with a cyborg, we provide evidence for a neuronal mechanism that promotes a behavioral switch between surge and casting. We show how On/Off pheromone-sensitive neurons may guide action selection based on signaling the presence or loss of the pheromone. A simple neuron model with an intrinsic calcium-dependent potassium conductance reproduces physiological On/Off responses. Using this model as a command neuron and the antennae of tethered moths as pheromone sensors, we demonstrate the efficiency of multiphasic On/Off patterning in driving a robotic searcher toward the source.
Post-scriptum : Dominique Martinez received his PhD degree in electrical and electronic engineering from the University Paul Sabatier in Toulouse, France, in 1992. He was a post-doctoral fellow at MIT, Dept. Brain and Cog. Sciences, and Harvard, VLSI group, in Cambridge, MA, USA, in 1992 and 1994, respectively. Since 1993, he has a permanent research position at the CNRS in France. From 1993 to 1999 he worked at LAAS-CNRS in Toulouse, France, where his research interests were concerned with machine learning. In 2000 he joined LORIA-CNRS in Nancy, France, and his research interests currently focus on computational neuroscience and olfaction. From 2009 to 2011, he was also affiliated with PISC-INRA, a biological laboratory in Versailles, France. |
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| responsibles | Fenouil |
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