Assigning potential neurotransmitters and neuromodulators to identified local interneurons of the antennal lobe

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Peter Kloppenburg
• Subject Area: Molecular Biology and Physiology of Neurons and Glial Cells
• Term: from 2011 to 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 191792846

The insect antennal lobe, due to the many striking similarities in structural organization and physiological function with the vertebrate olfactory bulb, has contributed significantly to the construction of reasonable general models for olfactory information processing. A diverse population of local interneurons helps to process, structure and spatially represent olfactory information in antennal lobe. In Periplaneta americana we identified several types of local interneurons with distinct morphological, synaptic, and intrinsic electrophysiological properties, implying that these neurons serve distinct functions in the olfactory system. Here we will analyze the specific inventories of potential neurotransmitters and neuromodulators of distinct local interneuron types. While previous studies have investigated the neurochemical organization of the antennal lobe in various insect species, this will be the first time that the inventory of potentially neuroactive substances will be unequivocally assigned to the distinct, functionally different LN types.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants