NPAS monthly meeting

Date: Feb. 22, 2012 (Wed)
Time: AM 11:00~12:00

Place: B1 Auditorium, IMB (Institute of Molecular Biology), Academia Sinica

Speaker: Dr. Ya-Hui Chou, Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica

 

Title: The assembly and wiring variability of Drosophila olfactory circuit

Abstract

 

 

Neuronal diversity and variability are two general phenomena of neuronal circuits.  Yet, largely due to the complexity of nerve systems, little has been known how neuronal variability of a circuit is achieved nor its consequence to individual behaviors. Drosophila olfactory system is a great model to study mechanisms of neural circuit wiring and variability in terms of its similar but simpler composition than mammalian systems and its tremendous capacity of instructing diverse delicate behaviors. Our previous study with comprehensively sampling more than 1500 olfactory local interneurons (LNs) demonstrates that these neurons not only exhibit extensive diversity but also variability. The variability signature of LNs offers an unprecedented system to study the mechanisms underlying neuronal variability and the consequence of neuronal variability to individual behaviors. In my talk I will first introduce our ongoing LN projects, followed by a deeper discussion of the unpublished TC LN system.