Slide 1An introductory Case Study: The Anemone and the SlugSlide 3The Anemone and the SlugSlide 5Slide 6Basic Functions of LifeCritical Physiological Functions: HomeostasisOther Critical Physiological FunctionsDecisionSlide 11What IS Behavior?Behavior: DriveBehavior: MotivationBehavior: Sign Stimuli and ReleasersBehavior: Feature DetectionBehavior: Memory for ExperienceProximate Causation in BehaviorUltimate Causation in BehaviorFixed BehaviorsNon-Fixed BehaviorsMixed BehaviorsMixed Behaviors, cont.In the Next Lecture…MCB 462: Integrative NeuroscienceModeling Behavior with Neural ConstructsLecturer: Dr. Rhanor GilletteAn introductory Case Study: The Anemone and the Slug•The characters:–Flabellina iodinea, a stinging nudibranch slug–Anthopleura sola, an intertidal anemone and fierce ambush predator•What does this story tell us about the structure and function of the anemone’s nervous system?The stinging nudibranch snail Flabellina is placed on several tentacles of the intertidal anemone, Anthopleura sola, itself a fierce predator.The anemone stings Flabellina and the tentacles bring it to the mouth. At the same time, the mouth begins to open and moves toward the tentacles with the snail.The tentacles release Flabellina into the mouth, which swallows the hapless snail! 5-10 minutes later, Anthopleura egests Flabellina, which crawls around the oral disk of the anemone.When Flabellina touches the tentacles that originally captured it, it does not get stung. However, if it touches new tentacles, they sting the snail and bring it to the mouth. When the snail touches the mouth, the mouth rejects it, the tentacles release Flabellina and will not sting it again.Flabellina can crawl all around the oral disk educating the tentacles in this way, and can crawl away at any time over the educated tentacles.How does this tell us about the structure and function of the nervous system of the anemone?The Anemone and the Slug•Tentacles communicate with the mouth to tell it food is coming•Mouth tells tentacles to release  two-way communication! •Rejection of Flabellina by mouth  tentacles don’t sting Flabellina again –Mouth educates other tentacles to avoid that taste  mouth and tentacles have separate memoriesTasty foodTentacleBends to mouthMouthingestspain Mouth egestsOdor learning(mouth instructs tentacle)Tentacle avoidanceNotes on a cocktail napkin for the learning by the sunburst anemone to avoid the Spanish shawlOne general network model for the learning by the sunburst anemone to avoid the Spanish shawlIngestionEgestionTentacleattackPrimary Food SignalChemicalSignature(odor, taste)Connection strength modifiable by learningFeedback potentiation of Hebbian learningRestTentacleavoidBasic Functions of Life•Basic functions of organisms  served by behaviors–Acquisition of resources•Nutrient acquisition & conversion to body mass, hydration, shelter, $$, etc.–Defense•Avoidance of injury•Avoidance of energy waste•Defense against macro- and micropredators–Reproduction•Replication of genes•Courtship•Brooding of offspringCritical Physiological Functions: Homeostasis•Homeostasis  regulating physiological parameters around some optimizing value –Thermoregulation (e.g., body temperature, behaviors exploiting external temperature)–Osmoregulation  regulating body salt/water–Circulation•Nutrient and O2 transport•Waste flushing (e.g., CO2, NH3)•Capillary function control–Respiration  regulation of respiratory surfacesOther Critical Physiological Functions•Reproduction  courtship, mating, parturition and care of the young (or not)–Parental investment•Nutrition  getting a meal and digesting itDecision•These physiological functions are served by different behaviors–But how and why are some behaviors selected over other, to minimize cost and maximize benefits?•Decision  behavioral choice based on cost-benefit analysis–Such analysis arises from the integration of sensation, physiological state, and memory of experiences  Appetitive StateHow are decision-making and other behaviors represented by the nervous system? We will pose this question again later and seek a more detailed answer —For now, let’s develop some additional basics.What IS Behavior?•Movement and secretion is a convenient definition. Add endocytosis if you like…Behavior: Drive•Drive  long-term arousal level of a set of behaviors that normally act to accomplish nutritive (hunger), reproductive, maturational (e.g. play), and other functions that are basically important to the fitness of the organismBehavior: Motivation•Motivation  the level of arousal of a behavior or a set of behaviors that can be measured in response to stimulationBehavior: Sign Stimuli and Releasers•Sign Stimuli and Releasers  Sensory stimuli that can elicit specific behavior patterns–Visual releasers, pheromones, etc. •Examples: seagulls, three-spined sticklebacks, ticks (more on these later)Behavior: Feature Detection•Feature Detection  Perception of special features in the environment –Result of sensory computations in the nervous system that enhance the representation of specific visual elements in the brain –Examples: The frog eye, primate interpretation of facial expressions, human recognition and acquisition of speechBehavior: Memory for Experience•Habituation•Sensitization•Associative learning–More on these and their neural bases later in the semester!Proximate Causation in Behavior•Proximate  immediate cause–Sensation (feature detection), motivation, and experience –At neural level: the wiring of sensory structures, integrative functions, cognitive functions, pattern generators, motor circuitry, and the structure and function of musculature–Example: humans may engage in sexual behavior because they have an internal drive and respond selectively to certain stimuliUltimate Causation in Behavior•Ultimate  evolutionary cause–Evolutionary influences selecting for behaviors –Example: humans engage in sexual behavior because their ancestors did and passed along this tendency with their genes (natural selection)•Behavior evolves like other phenotypic traits–Evolution occurs by changes in frequency of different genes in populations–The frequency of a gene increases when it increases the number of surviving offspring–The ability of an