EYEPOD · The vision-strike conversion: Neural control of the predatory strike behavior in stomatopods
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2016-08-01 → 2018-09-05
- EU contribution
- €195,455
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
The vision-strike conversion: Neural control of the predatory strike behavior in stomatopods
Stomatopods utilize a super fast, power-amplified strikes for predation and defensive behaviours. The mechanics of the strike are such that potential energy from muscle contraction is stored in a spring that, when released, rotates the striking limb faster and with more power than would be possible from muscle action alone. The stomatopod strike is ballistic, which means it occurs so fast the movement cannot be modified or corrected once it is initiated. Thus, understanding the feed-forward neural controls stomatopods use to release their strike onto a target will reveal information for the development of ultra-fast movement technology and engineering. While it is unknown which sensory cues are required to control strike systems, it is hypothesized that the complex visual system boasted by stomatopods may mediate strike control. The major problem addressed in this research is to identify descending neural controls for stomatopod strike release. A 2nd problem was to test which dimensions of visual information (if any) are used to control the strike release. Since stomatopods are not an established model for neurophysiological study, this research required several basic objectives in order to address the larger goals of this work: 1. Define the strike behaviour using high-speed video (hsv) recordings. 2. Identify the location of strike-control neurons via current injection. 3. Anatomically describe the neural circuitry involved in strike control and identify putative, large diameter axon targets for electrophysiological recording. 4. Develop an extracellular recording preparation for stomatopods.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Controlling how the body is propelled through space is paramount for survival of most animals. Many species, including humans, use feedback from their visual and proprioceptive systems to correct or confirm body movements. However, feedback is limited to events that form part of the past. For many high performance behaviors, such as catching a fast incoming ball, the appropriate movement must be 1. anticipated from a short observation period and 2. actuated without sensory feedback. Understanding how visual information is processed and re-coded in a predictive manner for the purpose of movement implementation is a fundamental question in neuroscience. Such ballistic movements have been studied in predatory species, however previous investigations on the neural basis of such behaviour focus on the early circuits. Much less is known about the sensorimotor conversion of this behaviour. Here I propose to investigate the sensorimotor control of the fastest predatory strike on earth, boasted by stomatopods. This work will yield novel insights and fill the current knowledge gap on the neural basis of anticipatory and ballistic movements. As one of the few world experts in the field of stomatopod visual ecology, I am uniquely qualified to initiate this line of research. This project utilizes both my expertise as a stomatopod visual ecologist and the expertise of my host supervisor, Paloma Gonzalez-Bellido, who is a leader in the use of behavioural, histological, and electrophysiological techniques to study sensorimotor conversion in predatory insects. Using a combination of our expertise, I will address three specific questions related to the vision-strike conversion in the stomatopod nervous system:1.) What are the neural controls for releasing stomatopod ballistic strikes? 2.) Which dimensions of visual stimuli influence the stomatopod strike decision-making process?3.) What are common themes among arthropods for the neural control of anticipatory movements?
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- THE CHANCELLOR MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE · CAMBRIDGECoordinatorUnited Kingdom
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union