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Genetic and circuit control of decision-making and action-planning in associative learning

Research Project

Project/Area Number 21K20687
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up

Allocation TypeMulti-year Fund
Review Section 0704:Neuroscience, brain sciences, and related fields
Research InstitutionNagoya University

Principal Investigator

Huang Tzu Ting  名古屋大学, 理学研究科, 特任助教 (00909848)

Project Period (FY) 2021-08-30 – 2023-03-31
Project Status Completed (Fiscal Year 2022)
Budget Amount *help
¥2,600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥600,000)
Fiscal Year 2022: ¥1,170,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥270,000)
Fiscal Year 2021: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
KeywordsDecision-making / Associative learning / C. elegans / GPCR kinase / Neural circuit / decision-making / associative learning / sensorimotor control / neural circuit / Neural circuits / Sensorimotor control / Action-planning
Outline of Research at the Start

Individuals make different decisions in exactly the same environment depending on their experiences. Through genetic screens and neuronal imaging, we will elucidate genetic and circuit determinants for decision-making and sensorimotor coordination in an experience-dependent learning paradigm.

Outline of Final Research Achievements

How do animals select among various behavioral and environmental alternatives based on behavioral goals and experiences? From a screen for mutants defective in maintaining isothermal tracking behavior, we found mutants carrying null mutations in the G-protein coupled receptor kinase gene failed to maintain isothermal tracks at the cultivation temperature. grk-1 expresses broadly in the nervous systems, including the thermosensory neurons AFD, AWC, the interneurons AIY, and RIA. However, simultaneously expressing grk-1 in AFD, AWC, AIY, and RIA was insufficient to restore the isothermal tracking defect in the grk-1 null mutant. Subsequent analyses identify a glutamatergic interneuron is partially involved in maintaining isothermal tracking through grk-1 signaling. Our study provides genetic insights into the precise sensorimotor computation of goal-driven behaviors in a dynamic environment.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

We identify a GPCR kinase involved in the decision-making process to keep tracking along a preferred temperature with food experience. A similar mechanism may share with the reward system in the human brain; therefore, it could serve as a potential medical target for psychiatric disorders.

Report

(3 results)
  • 2022 Annual Research Report   Final Research Report ( PDF )
  • 2021 Research-status Report
  • Research Products

    (4 results)

All 2022 2021

All Presentation (4 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 2 results)

  • [Presentation] Genetic and circuit mechanisms of C. elegans isothermal tracking behavior2022

    • Author(s)
      Tzu-Ting Huang
    • Organizer
      線虫研究の未来を創る会 2022
    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
  • [Presentation] Genetic mechanisms of Caenorhabditis elegans isothermal tracking behavior2022

    • Author(s)
      Tzu-Ting Huang
    • Organizer
      The 45th Annual Meeting of the Japan Neuroscience Society Neuro2022
    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Genetic Mechanisms of Isothermal Tracking Behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans2021

    • Author(s)
      Tzu-Ting Huang
    • Organizer
      23rd International C. elegans conference
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Genetic mechanisms of Caenorhabditis elegans isothermal tracking behavior2021

    • Author(s)
      Tzu-Ting Huang
    • Organizer
      線虫研究の未来を創る会2021
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report

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Published: 2021-10-22   Modified: 2024-12-25  

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