Investigating Electrical Activity Accompanying Functional Recovery of the Pyloric Circuit Following Isolation from Neuromodulatory Inputs Open Access

Abstract

We use a simple, invertebrate neural circuit to study neural systems' adaptive ability. The pyloric circuit of the stomatogastric ganglion is an example of a central pattern generator that controls muscles needed for food particle sorting in crustaceans. As a central pattern generator, the pyloric circuit controls an oscillatory behavior that must be maintained in the face of a changing environment. A well-studied property of this circuit is its ability to regain a stable activity rhythm after losing it for several days due to isolation from neuromodulatory inputs via decentralization. Previous research supports that this functional rhythm recovery results from readjustment of cells' conductance parameters as both a direct response to loss of neuromodulatory inputs and an indirect response to changes in cells' own electrical activity. We investigated the circuit's electrical activity patterns following decentralization in order to gain a better understanding of the recovery process. We used continuous extracellular recordings of pyloric activity following decentralization in both untreated preparations and preparations treated with chondroitinase ABC, an enzyme known to delay or prevent reemergence of stable rhythm. We looked for differences in activity following decentralization between treatment groups and for aspects of post-decentralization activity that are predictive of the stable rhythm that is later regained. Across many measures used to quantify features of electrical activity, we did not find strong evidence that electrical activity following decentralization is predictive of adaptive ability.

Table of Contents

List of Figures................................................................................................ i List of Tables................................................................................................. ii Introduction.................................................................................................. 1 Methods....................................................................................................... 7 Results......................................................................................................... 20 Discussion..................................................................................................... 33 References.................................................................................................... 39

About this Honors Thesis

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School	Emory College
Department	Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology
Degree	BS
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Biology, Physiology Biology, Neuroscience
Keyword	neuroplasticity homeostasis
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Prinz, Astrid A, Emory University
Committee Members	Manns, Joseph, Emory University Calabrese, Ronald, Emory University Wenner, Peter, Emory University

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