Journal article
A spike-timing mechanism for action selection
Nature neuroscience, v 17(7), pp 962-970
01 Jul 2014
PMID: 24908103
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
We discovered a bimodal behavior in the genetically tractable organism Drosophila melanogaster that allowed us to directly probe the neural mechanisms of an action selection process. When confronted by a predator-mimicking looming stimulus, a fly responds with either a long-duration escape behavior sequence that initiates stable flight or a distinct, short-duration sequence that sacrifices flight stability for speed. Intracellular recording of the descending giant fiber (GF) interneuron during head-fixed escape revealed that GF spike timing relative to parallel circuits for escape actions determined which of the two behavioral responses was elicited. The process was well described by a simple model in which the GF circuit has a higher activation threshold than the parallel circuits, but can override ongoing behavior to force a short takeoff. Our findings suggest a neural mechanism for action selection in which relative activation timing of parallel circuits creates the appropriate motor output.
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Details
- Title
- A spike-timing mechanism for action selection
- Creators
- Catherine R. von Reyn - Howard Hughes Medical InstitutePatrick Breads - Howard Hughes Medical InstituteMartin Y. Peek - Howard Hughes Medical InstituteGrace Zhiyu Zheng - Howard Hughes Medical InstituteW. Ryan Williamson - Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAlyson L. Yee - Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAnthony Leonardo - Howard Hughes Medical InstituteGwyneth M. Card (Corresponding Author) - Howard Hughes Medical Institute
- Publication Details
- Nature neuroscience, v 17(7), pp 962-970
- Publisher
- Springer Nature
- Number of pages
- 9
- Grant note
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Health Systems
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000338097200013
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-84903375741
- Other Identifier
- 991019176805904721
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- Web of Science research areas
- Neurosciences