quantification-drosophila-melanogaster-grooming-behavior-for

Quantification of <em>Drosophila melanogaster</em> Grooming Behavior for Evaluation of Excessive Grooming Phenotypes

Observable changes in stereotyped grooming are applied translationally in model organisms. These changes are representative of pathologies that elicit ...

Simmons University

In humans, trafficking of the GABA(A) receptor by GABARAP can lead to obsessive behaviors and learning deficits often in seen in neurological disorders such as Tourette's Syndrome. We find that in  ,  , the ortholog of the human  gene, is necessary in the nervous system for learning and suppression of excessive grooming. These results suggest that knocking down  in neurons of  produces a phenotype similar to that seen in human patients, potentially allowing for use of an  knockdown background as a suitable invertebrate model for related neurological conditions.

Seth Johnson

Simmons University

Quantification of Drosophila melanogaster Grooming Behavior for Evaluation of Excessive Grooming Phenotypes