A computational model of the integration of landmarks and motion in the insect central complex.

The insect central complex (CX) is an enigmatic structure whose computational function has evaded inquiry, but has been implicated in a wide range of behaviours. Recent experimental evidence from the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) and the cockroach (Blaberus discoidalis) has demonstrated the ex...

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Main Authors: Alex J Cope, Chelsea Sabo, Eleni Vasilaki, Andrew B Barron, James A R Marshall
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2017-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5328262?pdf=render
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spelling doaj-8291df0a69b3459080c089a9260131c42020-11-25T02:13:19ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032017-01-01122e017232510.1371/journal.pone.0172325A computational model of the integration of landmarks and motion in the insect central complex.Alex J CopeChelsea SaboEleni VasilakiAndrew B BarronJames A R MarshallThe insect central complex (CX) is an enigmatic structure whose computational function has evaded inquiry, but has been implicated in a wide range of behaviours. Recent experimental evidence from the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) and the cockroach (Blaberus discoidalis) has demonstrated the existence of neural activity corresponding to the animal's orientation within a virtual arena (a neural 'compass'), and this provides an insight into one component of the CX structure. There are two key features of the compass activity: an offset between the angle represented by the compass and the true angular position of visual features in the arena, and the remapping of the 270° visual arena onto an entire circle of neurons in the compass. Here we present a computational model which can reproduce this experimental evidence in detail, and predicts the computational mechanisms that underlie the data. We predict that both the offset and remapping of the fly's orientation onto the neural compass can be explained by plasticity in the synaptic weights between segments of the visual field and the neurons representing orientation. Furthermore, we predict that this learning is reliant on the existence of neural pathways that detect rotational motion across the whole visual field and uses this rotation signal to drive the rotation of activity in a neural ring attractor. Our model also reproduces the 'transitioning' between visual landmarks seen when rotationally symmetric landmarks are presented. This model can provide the basis for further investigation into the role of the central complex, which promises to be a key structure for understanding insect behaviour, as well as suggesting approaches towards creating fully autonomous robotic agents.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5328262?pdf=render
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Alex J Cope
Chelsea Sabo
Eleni Vasilaki
Andrew B Barron
James A R Marshall
spellingShingle Alex J Cope
Chelsea Sabo
Eleni Vasilaki
Andrew B Barron
James A R Marshall
A computational model of the integration of landmarks and motion in the insect central complex.
PLoS ONE
author_facet Alex J Cope
Chelsea Sabo
Eleni Vasilaki
Andrew B Barron
James A R Marshall
author_sort Alex J Cope
title A computational model of the integration of landmarks and motion in the insect central complex.
title_short A computational model of the integration of landmarks and motion in the insect central complex.
title_full A computational model of the integration of landmarks and motion in the insect central complex.
title_fullStr A computational model of the integration of landmarks and motion in the insect central complex.
title_full_unstemmed A computational model of the integration of landmarks and motion in the insect central complex.
title_sort computational model of the integration of landmarks and motion in the insect central complex.
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
series PLoS ONE
issn 1932-6203
publishDate 2017-01-01
description The insect central complex (CX) is an enigmatic structure whose computational function has evaded inquiry, but has been implicated in a wide range of behaviours. Recent experimental evidence from the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) and the cockroach (Blaberus discoidalis) has demonstrated the existence of neural activity corresponding to the animal's orientation within a virtual arena (a neural 'compass'), and this provides an insight into one component of the CX structure. There are two key features of the compass activity: an offset between the angle represented by the compass and the true angular position of visual features in the arena, and the remapping of the 270° visual arena onto an entire circle of neurons in the compass. Here we present a computational model which can reproduce this experimental evidence in detail, and predicts the computational mechanisms that underlie the data. We predict that both the offset and remapping of the fly's orientation onto the neural compass can be explained by plasticity in the synaptic weights between segments of the visual field and the neurons representing orientation. Furthermore, we predict that this learning is reliant on the existence of neural pathways that detect rotational motion across the whole visual field and uses this rotation signal to drive the rotation of activity in a neural ring attractor. Our model also reproduces the 'transitioning' between visual landmarks seen when rotationally symmetric landmarks are presented. This model can provide the basis for further investigation into the role of the central complex, which promises to be a key structure for understanding insect behaviour, as well as suggesting approaches towards creating fully autonomous robotic agents.
url http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5328262?pdf=render
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