1. Neural Mechanisms of Behavior
ZOL 313, May

2. Neural Mechanisms of Behavior
Objectives:
Understand how neurons and simple neural networks function to influence animal behaviors.
2. Identify examples of stimulus filtering and be able to explain why it is biologically important.
3. Become familiar with some of the proximate mechanisms underlying animal navigation.
ZOL 313, May

3. Neurons Caenorhabditis elegans (worm): 302 Fruit fly: 300,000
Humans: 100,000,000,000

4. Neural Networks

5. Neural network example: moth detection of bat ultrasound

6. Example: Sea slug escape behavior
Central Pattern Generators
Example: Sea slug escape behavior

7. Auditory SF Example Cricket auditory receptors
Stimulus filtering
Auditory SF Example Cricket auditory receptors

8. Tactile stimulus filtering example: Cortical magnification in the star-nosed mole (Eimer’s organ)

9. Cortical magnification continued: sensory analysis

10. Visual stimulus filtering example: UV vision in birds & insects
Experiment:

11. Neural network location and function in humans
Face recognition: posterior fusiform gyrus
Navigation: right hippocampus

12. Neural mechanisms of navigation in animals
In order to know where to go, animal brains need: 1. 2.
Examples of cues animals can use:

13. Example: How do homing pigeons know where to go?
Experiment 1:
Experiment 2:

14. Example: how do sea turtles know where to go?
Experiment: