Pushkar Pranjape

pushkarp@ncbs.res.in

Could there be a general mechanism for habituation?

We don't understand the factors that determine behavioral response versus inaction to various stimuli. A tap on the back in a public hall may make one turn to reply but in an empty reading room it will startle. Either exchange above two responses with each other or eliminate the ability to switch between them and the result is a disordered individual. In general, the ability to get accustomed to insignificant stimuli is termed habituation in the literature. In order to get detailed circuit and molecular understanding of this behavior I work on Drosophila gustatory and visual pathways using behavioral and electro-physiological techniques.

Collaborator: Prof. Mani Ramaswami, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.

Publication:

Gustatory habituation in Drosophila relies on rutabaga (adenylate cyclase)-dependent plasticity of GABAergic inhibitory neurons. Paranjpe et al, 2012, Learning & Memory, CSHL Press.