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Full-Text Articles in Genetics and Genomics
Recovery From Social Isolation In Drosophila: The Role Of Dopamine And The Autism-Related Gene Nlg3., Ryley T. Yost
Recovery From Social Isolation In Drosophila: The Role Of Dopamine And The Autism-Related Gene Nlg3., Ryley T. Yost
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Within a group, individuals establish their preferred distance from each other, or social space, a form of social behaviour. The resulting distance depends on the exchange of social cues from others that needs to be perceived and integrated within the organism’s neural circuitry. In humans, social spacing can be impaired in neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism and schizophrenia. When organisms are subject to social isolation, profound changes in social behaviour are observed in a variety of species from insects to mammals, including social space. However, the genetic and molecular mechanisms modulating a behavioural response to isolation and possible recovery remain …
Elucidating The Neural Circuitry Underlying Social Spacing In Drosophila Melanogaster Through The Lens Of Neuroligin 3, Abigail T. Bechard
Elucidating The Neural Circuitry Underlying Social Spacing In Drosophila Melanogaster Through The Lens Of Neuroligin 3, Abigail T. Bechard
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Social interactions among animals can be complex, and abnormal social behaviours may result in negative fitness consequences for both the individual displaying them, and the entire group. To understand the neural basis of complex social behaviour, we can study simpler behaviours that precede and mediate them. Social spacing, the typical distance between individuals in a group, is an easily quantifiable behaviour in Drosophila melanogaster. Here, I investigated the neural circuitry underlying social spacing through the lens of Autism-candidate gene neuroligin 3. Based on the Nlg3 enrichment pattern in adult fly brains, I hypothesized that nlg3-expressing neurons, along …