Meeting Abstract

P1.181A  Friday, Jan. 4  Assessing the Role of Glutamate in Insect Motor Control HUSAIN, DI*; MAXKWEE, K; MEKDARA, PJ; LENT, DD; GOTO, JJ; MULLER, UK; California State University, Fresno dhusain@csufresno.edu

Glutamate is a major excitatory neurotransmitter in the nervous system of insects with receptors in locomotory control areas, such as the central complex in the central nervous system (CNS) and the neuromuscular junctions in the peripheral nervous system. While the role of glutamate at the neuromuscular junction is well understood, we know less about its role in the CNS. To explore the role of glutamate in locomotory control, we treated fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) with the glutamate agonist beta-Methylamino-L-alanine, which has been shown to affect locomotory control centers. We quantified the walking behavior of fruit flies during straight climbing in an incline walking arena and while maneuvering around obstacles in a corner walking arena. We found that treated flies have poorer locomotory ability than control flies (they lose their footing during incline walking) because their foot placement was affected by the glutamate agonist. During the stance phase, treated flies placed their feet closer to their body, which resulted in smaller triangles of support and reduced stability. We did not find that foot placement was more erratic – just like the control flies, treated flies generated a nearly equilateral triangle of support and the shape of the triangles of support was not more variable than in control flies. Preliminary data also suggested that walking speed, walking motivation, and maneuverability were affected.