Crayfish are an ideal model in which to study the effects of social experience on the nervous system and behavior. Their neurobiology is largely mapped out and accessible neural circuits function and structure allows us to connect it directly to behavior.
We do this via a variety of approaches and methods, including:
Behavioral analysis
In our lab, we control the social elements of the environments in which crayfish spend their time in order to monitor the effects of these qualities on the nervous system and catalog the resultant behaviors. We use BORIS to log and code live or video-recorded observations and SLEAP for automated motion tracking.
Histology & immunocytochemistry
We combine histological techniques such as vibratome sectioning and staining of tissue with fluorescent microscopy to identify structural modifications produced by social experience. We also use analytical biochemical methods to measure physiological biomarkers in the crayfish hemolymph as well as immunohistochemistry to label neurotransmitters and their receptors in the nervous system.
Electrophysiology & neuropharmacology
Because social experience manifests in neural circuits and even individual neurons, we use intra- and extracellular electrophysiology to measure neural activity patterns in the nervous system and pair these recording with application of drugs that affect neurotransmitter systems. Together, this allows us to probe into the neurochemical mechanisms that are shaped by social experience and mediate behavioral output.
Genomics & proteomics
In collaboration with the Hall (UMD) and Burgess (NICHD) labs, we employ genomic and proteomic tools to investigate the effects of social experience on the gut microbiome. We also work with the Nemes (UMD) lab to measure peptides in single crayfish neurons.