Ebook: Model Neural Networks and Behavior

The most conspicuous function of the nervous system is to control animal behav­ ior. From the complex operations of learning and mentation to the molecular con­ figuration of ionic channels, the nervous system serves as the interface between an animal and its environment. To study and understand the fundamental mecha­ nisms underlying the control of behavior, it is often both necessary and desirable to employ biological systems with characteristics especially suitable for answering specific questions. In neurobiology, many invertebrates have become established as model systems for investigations at both the systems and the cellular level. Large, readily identifiable neurons have made invertebrates especially useful for cellular studies. The fact that these neurons occur in much smaller numbers than those in higher animals also makes them important for circuit analysis. Although important differences exist, some of the questions that would be tech­ nically impossible to answer with vertebrates can become experimentally tractable with invertebrates.

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Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xxiii
Front Matter....Pages 1-1
Neural Networks Controlling Locomotion in Locusts....Pages 3-20
Neural Mechanisms for the Production of the Lobster Pyloric Motor Pattern....Pages 21-35
Extrinsic Inputs and Flexibility in the Motor Output of the Lobster Pyloric Neural Network....Pages 37-48
Modulation of Central and Peripheral Rhythmicity in the Heartbeat System of the Leech....Pages 49-68
Neural Network Analysis in the Snail Brain....Pages 69-85
Nonspiking and Spiking Local Interneurons in the Locust....Pages 87-108
Front Matter....Pages 109-125
Metamorphosis of the Insect Nervous System....Pages 127-127
The First Neuronal Growth Cones in Insect Embryos....Pages 129-148
The Development of Serotonin-containing Neurons in the Leech....Pages 149-174
Front Matter....Pages 175-190
The Logic of Limax Learning....Pages 191-209
Neural Mechanisms of Behavioral Plasticity in an Invertebrate Model System....Pages 211-211
Front Matter....Pages 213-235
Neurotransmitter Modulation of the Stomatogastric Ganglion of Decapod Crustaceans....Pages 237-261
The Well-Modulated Lobster....Pages 263-282
Neurosecretory Role of Crustacean Eyestalk in the Control of Neuronal Activity....Pages 283-283
Activation of Neuronal Circuits by Circulating Hormones in Insects....Pages 285-301
Front Matter....Pages 303-317
Are Skeletal Motoneurons in Arthropods Peptidergic?....Pages 319-337
Front Matter....Pages 339-360
Electrical Behavioral Correlates of Calcium and Potassium Currents in Molluscan Nerve Cells....Pages 361-379
Calcium and cAMP: Second Messengers in Gastropod Neurons....Pages 381-399
Synaptic Facilitation and Residual Calcium....Pages 283-283
Front Matter....Pages 401-413
A Monoclonal Antibody to an Internal Molecule Differentiates Three Electrically Coupled Leech Neurons....Pages 415-415
The Drosophila Thorax as a Model System for Neurogenetics....Pages 417-435
Back Matter....Pages 437-460
....Pages 461-475