Meeting Abstract

58.5  Tuesday, Jan. 6  The Effects of an Altered Dopaminergic System on Behavior, Development, and Physiology in Drosophila melanogaster TURNER, Ashby C.*; COOPER, Robin L.; Univ of Kentucky, Lexington; Univ of Kentucky, Lexington Ashby.Turner@uky.edu

Neuromodulators play a vital role in developing and controlling the Central Nervous System (CNS) but all of their attributes to development and behavior are not completely understood. One neuromodulator, dopamine, has been seen to have devastating effects if the concentrations are altered. Cocaine causes excess amounts of dopamine in the synapse.Dopamine levels are associated with Parkinson’s disease and its effects on motor control. Drosophila were fed different concentrations of Alpha-METHYL-DL-p-TYROSINE-METHYL-ESTER (AMVT), a tyrosine hydroxalase inhibitor, at a range of doses in a variety of development stages. Development and larval behaviors were monitored for the effects of reduced dopamine. Adult flies administered AMVT at different concentrations were also studied for stress tolerance, locomotive behavior, and sensory to motor coordination. AMVT appears to have little impact on time of development. Decreased pigmentation was seen in pupated adults fed AMVT. Preliminary stress tests in adults have shown a decreased tolerance to heat stress after being fed AMVT when compared to controls as well as non-stressed pharmacological animals. Electrophysiological recordings measuring CNS recruitment of motor neurons when exposed to exogenous dopamine indicated a decreased frequency in rhythmic bursts for the larvae fed AMVT. Resting heart rate was reduced and the sensitivity of the heart to dopamine was enhanced in larvae fed AMVT.