Octopamine modulates activity of neural networks in the honey bee antennal lobe.

ABSTRACT: Neuronal plasticity allows an animal to respond to environmental changes by modulating its response to stimuli. In the honey bee (Apis mellifera), the biogenic amine octopamine plays a crucial role in appetitive odor learning, but little is known about how octopamine affects the brain. We investigated its effect in the antennal lobe, the first olfactory center in the brain, using calcium imaging to record background activity and odor responses before and after octopamine application. We show that octopamine increases background activity in olfactory output neurons, while reducing average calcium levels. Odor responses were modulated both upwards and downwards, with more odor response increases in glomeruli with negative or weak odor responses. Importantly, the octopamine effect was variabl

SUBMITTER: Rein J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3825135 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature