 |
Jens Herberholz, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor Integrative Neuroscience
E-mail: jherberholz@psyc.umd.edu
|
Research and Teaching Interests:
Research in my lab investigates the neural basis of animal behavior. We are interested in identifying and examining neural circuitry that controls behaviors such as aggression, social status, and escape from predators.
We use crayfish as our primary animal model because they feature a nervous system of tractable complexity that is accessible for behavioral, biochemical and neurophysiological studies.
Like most social animals crayfish compete for resources such as food, shelter and mates. They engage in pair-wise encounters of escalating aggression until one animal suddenly breaks off the fight. The behavioral switch marks the change in the social status and identifies the animal as the new subordinate. Dominant and subordinate crayfish then show clear differences in their behavior. Although both agonistic and non-agonistic elements of crayfish behavior observed during fighting and formation of a dominance hierarchy have been intensively studied, the underlying neural circuitry has not been identified. In our attempt to understand the neural mechanisms, we use a variety of techniques such as behavioral analysis in combination with non-invasive electrophysiology, intracellular electrophysiology, manganese-enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and immunohistochemistry.
When attacked by a natural predator (e.g., dragonfly nymphs), juvenile crayfish produce three different forms of escape tail-flips controlled by as many neural circuits. The neural circuitry that controls the tail-flip behavior is only partially understood and provides a great opportunity to study escape behavior on a cellular level. We use high-speed video analysis in combination with extracellular electrophysiology to measure escape circuit activity in freely behaving animals. We are especially interested in how the different escape circuits interact with each other to produce effective behavioral responses.
We are also interested in the question whether social reality and/ or social experience affect simple forms of learning in crayfish. In addition, we are currently testing if differences in levels of aggression translate to behavioral differences displayed in other social situations.
My teaching interests are primarily in Neuroethology, Neurophysiology and Animal Behavior. For more information please refer to my webpage.