Susan E. Fahrbach - US grants

neurotransmitters; neurotoxins; motor neurons; steroid hormone; cell death; hormone regulation /control mechanism; neurons; gender difference; neuroendocrine system; aminoacid; synapses; neural transmission; autoradiography; bioassay; electrophysiology; neuroanatomy; neuropharmacology;

An award has been made to Wake Forest University under the direction of Dr. Anita K. McCauley for the acquisition of a laser scanning confocal microscope that will be used in research and education in biology and physics. The instrument will allow fluorescent imaging in thick tissues in biological samples, and of nanoparticles in various studies in physics. This provides a more three-dimensional view of the samples than available with conventional microscopes. Research projects that will be enhanced include studies of gene regulation of plant proteins, gene expression in bee brains, cellular behavior in insects, and excitable nanostructures in thin films. The institution will establish collaborations with several nearby colleges, including a historically Black college.

This award provides funding for five talented young scientists to present their original research in the Young Investigator Symposium at the annual Workshop on Steroid Hormones and Brain Function in 2008 and 2009. The goals of this workshop are to provide an informal setting for the exchange of new data on steroid hormone action in the nervous system, to encourage the development of research collaborations, and to provide a forum for outstanding young neuroendocrinologists. Five competitively chosen senior graduate students or postdoctoral fellows are invited not only to present their research in the Young Investigator Symposium, but also receive financial support to attend the entire workshop. This award therefore nurtures the next generation of neuroendocrinologists by helping them build a substantial professional network of contacts as they begin their transition to independent researchers. The 2008 awards reflect the breadth of contemporary basic and especially comparative research in neuroendocrinology, with a strong emphasis on nonmammalian model systems, including bird song, amphibian courtship, neuromuscular systems for copulation in reptiles, and neural plasticity in the honey bee. Without funds provided by the National Science Foundation, it is unlikely that these young investigators could attend the annual workshop.

ABSTRACT PI (Fahrbach) Proposal #0949728
Role of Nuclear Receptors in Neural Plasticity

This project studies the changes that occur in the structure of the brain when an adult animal learns to do something new. Young honey bees work within the hive, but at approximately three weeks of age begin to forage to flowers for pollen and nectar. Changes in the size of individual nerve cells and the volume of entire brain regions result from the shift from in-hive tasks to foraging. This project investigates the role of hormones in promoting brain growth in response to new experiences using the honey bee model. The responses to important developmental hormones of bee neurons growing in culture will be studied using both microscopy and methods that permit gene expression to be measured. These studies will yield an understanding, at a cellular and molecular level, of why nerve cells are more likely to grow during some stages of life than others. This project will provide training in neuroscience research for a graduate student. In addition, the co-PIs will develop a new bioinformatics course for undergraduates. Teaching materials developed for this course will be made freely accessible to all interested teachers and students via a bilingual (English/Spanish) web site maintained at Wake Forest University.

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal requests partial support for an international meeting on Neuroethology as part of the Gordon Research Conference series. The meeting will be held at Stonehill College, Massachusetts, USA, August 14-19, 2011, and will be preceded by a Graduate Research Seminar August (13-14). The long-term goal of this ongoing conference is to increase our understanding of the development, function, and evolution of neural circuits. The 2011 meeting features several sessions that investigate how animals live in their species-specific sensory worlds. The key question: Can we use our understanding of sensory systems to link neuroscience and ecology ("neuro-ecology")? The specific aim of this meeting is to convene 22 expert speakers and 18 discussion leaders representing the forefront of neuroethology with a total of 135-150 participants for a 5 day conference in an academic setting selected to foster interaction. The intention will be to provoke day-long discussion across the sub-disciplines of neuroethology. The main program will feature two opening (keynote) speakers and eight scientific sessions. The two keynote talks will be linked by the topic of epigenetics, forcing neuroethologists to consider how the individual life histories of their subjects must be integrated into neural circuit analysis. Three sessions will focus on the sensory world: one on transduction, one on sensory integration, and one on the neural processing underlying natural tasks. A related session will use touch as sensed by insects and mammals to address the topic of how neuroethological investigations can contribute to bioengineering. One session will address issues related to brain size and behavior. Two additional sessions focus on the cost of information processing and the possible use of measures of the expression of immediate early genes as neuroethological tools. Daily poster sessions will permit all participants to contribute to the conference, and the organizers will encourage poster submissions related to the formal sessions. The significance of this application is that the Gordon Research Conference on Neuroethology is a critical component of the annual cycle of conferences that unite the international community of neuroethologists. (The Gordon Research Conference on Neuroethology convenes in odd-numbered years;the International Society of Neuroethology convenes its congress in even-numbered years.) The health relatedness of this application is that the discussions will define the challenges that face the designers of effective neural prostheses. The Graduate Research Seminar is titled "Graduate Research Seminar: Compare or Perish!" At this meeting, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers will meet to discuss the future of neuroethology in an open, informal atmosphere that will prepare young scientists to derive maximum benefit from the full Gordon Research Conference that follows. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The Gordon Conference on Neuroethology: Behavior, Evolution, and Neurobiology will be held August 14-19, 2011, at Stonehill College in Massachusetts, USA. This meeting provides an exceptional opportunity for researchers from around the world to discuss emerging concepts related to the development, function, and evolution of neural circuits. There will be a pre- meeting Graduate Research Seminar to enhance the training experience for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. Explicitly examining the evolutionary and comparative aspects of neural circuits will provide new insights into the design of effective neural prostheses.

Each year honey bees contribute billions of dollars of value to the United States economy by pollinating food crops. During the past decade, North American honey bee populations have declined, primarily because of the death of colonies during winter. The cause of these losses is mysterious, but one possibility is that reduced fall populations make winter survival more challenging. It is difficult to assess threats to bee health because little is known about basic bee physiology. This project fills gaps in our knowledge of bee reproduction by using molecular methods to identify brain hormones that regulate the ovaries in queens, the only females in bee colonies who can lay fertilized eggs. The results will define the brain regulation of bee reproduction, which can in turn be used to understand how factors such as pesticides and disease disrupt egg production and lead to reduced bee populations. Because one of these signals is an insulin-like peptide, these studies will promote understanding of the role of insulin in insects. Results will be published in peer-reviewed journals, with primary data stored for a minimum of 10 years on secure Wake Forest University servers in standard formats (Excel, Photoshop). Two educational projects will be supported by this award. First, undergraduates will investigate the ability of the honey bee gut to repair diet-induced damage. Students will partner with local citizen-beekeepers to survey gut health in bee populations in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. The second is development of an insect hormone laboratory exercise to be used by 200+ undergraduate biology students at Wake Forest University every semester. The curricular materials will be made available to all interested college-level instructors of biology through the national Association of Biology Laboratory Educators (ABLE). Insect-based exercises provide a safe, cost-effective tool for introducing students to concepts of hormone action.