As in other insects, three main tracts in the moth brain form parallel connections between the antennal lobe and the protocerebrum. These tracts, which consist of the antennal-lobe projection-neuron axons, target two main areas in the protocerebrum, the calyces of the mushroom bodies and the lateral horn. In spite of the solid neuroanatomical knowledge already established, there are still unresolved issues regarding the antennal-lobe tracts of the moth. One is the proportion of lateral-tract neurons targeting the calyces. In the study presented here, we have performed both retrograde and anterograde labeling of the antennal-lobe projection neurons in the brain of the moth, Heliothis virescens. The results from the retrograde staining, obtained by applying dye in the calyces, demonstrated that the direct connection between the antennal lobe and this neuropil is maintained primarily by the medial antennal-lobe tract; only a few axons confined to the lateral tract were found to innervate the calyces. In addition, these staining experiments, which allowed us to explore the arborization pattern of labeled neurons within the antennal lobe, resulted in new findings regarding anatomical arrangement of roots and cell body clusters linked to the medial tract. The results from the anterograde staining, obtained by applying dye into the antennal lobe, visualized the total assembly of axons passing along the antennal-lobe tracts. In addition to the three classical tracts, we found a transverse antennal-lobe tract not previously described in the moth. Also, these staining experiments revealed an organized neuropil in the lateral horn formed by terminals of the four antennal-lobe tracts.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00441-016-2448-0 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
3D reconstruction of larval and adult brain neuropils of two giant silk moth species: Hyalophora cecropia and Antheraea pernyi.
J Insect Physiol
September 2023
Biology Centre CAS, Institute of Entomology, Branisovska 31, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic; University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Faculty of Science, Branisovska 31, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic. Electronic address:
We present a detailed analysis of the brain anatomy of two saturniid species, the cecropia silk moth, Hyalophora cecropia, and the Chinese oak silk moth, Antheraea pernyi, including 3D reconstructions of the major brain neuropils in the larva and in male and female adults. The 3D reconstructions, prepared from high-resolution optical sections, showed that the corresponding neuropils of these saturniid species are virtually identical. Similarities between the two species include a pronounced sexual dimorphism in the adults in the form of a male-specific assembly of markedly enlarged glomeruli forming the so-called macroglomerular complex.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOrganization of the parallel antennal-lobe tracts in the moth.
J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol
November 2022
Chemosensory Lab, Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
The olfactory pathways of the insect brain have been studied comprehensively for more than 40 years, yet the last decade has included a particularly large accumulation of new information relating to this system's structure. In moths, sharp intracellular recording and staining has been used to elucidate the anatomy and physiology of output neurons from the primary olfactory center, the antennal lobe. This review concentrates on the connection patterns characterizing these projection neurons, which follow six separate antennal-lobe tracts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA Sexually Dimorphic Olfactory Neuron Mediates Fixed Action Transition during Courtship Ritual in .
J Neurosci
November 2021
Career-Path Promotion Unit for Young Life Scientists, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
Animals perform a series of actions in a fixed order during ritualistic innate behaviors. Although command neurons and sensory pathways responding to external stimuli that trigger these behaviors have been identified, how each action is induced in a fixed order in response to multimodal sensory stimuli remains unclear. Here, the sexually dimorphic lateral antennal lobe tract projection neuron 4 (lPN4) in male mediates the expression of a fixed behavioral action pattern at the beginning of the courtship ritual, in which a male taps a female body and then extends a wing unilaterally to produce a courtship song.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDistinct protocerebral neuropils associated with attractive and aversive female-produced odorants in the male moth brain.
Elife
May 2021
Chemosensory lab, Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
The pheromone system of heliothine moths is an optimal model for studying principles underlying higher-order olfactory processing. In , three male-specific glomeruli receive input about three female-produced signals, the primary pheromone component, serving as an attractant, and two minor constituents, serving a dual function, that is, attraction versus inhibition of attraction. From the antennal-lobe glomeruli, the information is conveyed to higher olfactory centers, including the lateral protocerebrum, via three main paths - of which the medial tract is the most prominent.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeuronal architecture of the second-order CO pathway in the brain of a noctuid moth.
Sci Rep
November 2020
Chemosensory Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway.
Many insects possess the ability to detect fine fluctuations in the environmental CO concentration. In herbivorous species, plant-emitted CO, in combination with other sensory cues, affect many behaviors including foraging and oviposition. In contrast to the comprehensive knowledge obtained on the insect olfactory pathway in recent years, we still know little about the central CO system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!