Brain and cognition: The need for a broader biological perspective to overcome old biases.

Even with accumulating knowledge, no consensus regarding the understanding of intelligence or cognition exists, and the universal brain bases for these functions remain unclear. Traditionally, our understanding of cognition is based on self-evident principles that appear indisputable when looking only at our species; however, this can distance us from understanding its essence (anthropocentrism, corticocentrism, intellectocentrism, neurocentrism, and idea of orthogenesis of brain evolution). Herein, we use several examples from biology to demonstrate the usefulness of comparative ways of thinking in relativizing these biases.

Drug effect and addiction research with insects - From Drosophila to collective reward in honeybees.

Animals and humans share similar reactions to the effects of addictive substances, including those of their brain networks to drugs. Our review focuses on simple invertebrate models, particularly the honeybee (Apis mellifera), and on the effects of drugs on bee behaviour and brain functions. The drug effects in bees are very similar to those described in humans.

Dopaminergic mushroom body neurons in Drosophila: Flexibility of neuron identity in a model organism?

In classical neuroscience, Dale´s principle postulates that neuronal identity is conferred by the specific neurotransmitter that it releases. However, the brain might be more tractable to specific situations regardless of specific specialisation which may contradict this principle. Hence, this constrained approach of how we perceive and study the nervous system must be revisited and revised, specifically by studying the dopaminergic system.

Drosophila reward system - A summary of current knowledge.

The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster brain is the most extensively investigated model of a reward system in insects. Drosophila can discriminate between rewarding and punishing environmental stimuli and consequently undergo associative learning. Functional models, especially those modelling mushroom bodies, are constantly being developed using newly discovered information, adding to the complexity of creating a simple model of the reward system.

First Comprehensive Study of a Giant Among the Insects, : Basic Facts from Its Biochemistry, Physiology, and Anatomy.

is one of the largest insects in the world, but unfortunately, there is a lack of basic information about its biology. Previous papers have mostly described morphology or taxonomy, but studies concerning its anatomy and physiology are largely absent. Thus, we employed microscopic, physiological, and analytical methods to partially fill this gap.