Meeting Abstract

P3.76  Jan. 6  A biophysical model of the reflexive startle response: interaction of Mauthner cells with the CPG KUNEC, S A*; ROOT, R G; Worcester State College; Lafayette College stephen.kunec@worcester.edu

One of the most primitive behaviors of vertebrates is the reflexive startle response. The interaction between Mauthner cells and the central pattern generator (CPG) lies at the center of the stimulus and control of this behavior. To investigate this interaction, we create a simulation that models the neural behavior and coupling of the Mauthner cells and the CPG. Standard Morris-Lecar and Hodgkin-Huxley dynamics are used to model the motor neurons and Mauthner cells, respectively. Our computational analysis emphasizes the role of the Mauthner cell as conductor of the escape response. We offer preliminary results that suggest that Maunther stimulation can account for the transition from the traveling wave of stimulation associated with undulatory locomotion in many fish, to a standing wave of stimulation typical of a C-start.