Central regulation of the decision make process for mating behavior in Drosophila

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K07147
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Animal physiology/Animal behavior
• Research Institution: Nagoya University
• Principal Investigator: Ishimoto Hiroshi 名古屋大学, 理学研究科, 特任講師 (80643361)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): KAMIKOUCHI AZUSA 名古屋大学, 理学研究科, 教授 (00525264)
• Research Collaborator: YAMADA DAICHI 名古屋大学, 理学研究科, 大学院生
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: ドーパミン / 性行動 / 意思決定 / 価値判断 / モチベーション / ショウジョウバエ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Females make a decision whether to accept or reject the copulation during a series of courtship ritual. This mutual courtship process is widely appeared in many animal species, however, little is known about the neuronal and molecular mechanisms of higher-order functions underlying this female behavioral switch during courtship ritual. Here, I explored the neuronal nature of the female decision make for the proper copulation in Drosophila melanogaster. Then I found that a feedforward circuit motif was composed of the DA targeting neurons that were divided into at least two structural and functional classes, one positively modulates courtship rejection and the other class, composed by GABAergic neurons, negatively modulates courtship rejection. Each neural class required different types of dopamine receptors. These findings may possibly provide perspectives on how behavioral switches controlled at the neural circuit level.

Free Research Field

神経行動遺伝学