Distinct antennal lobe phenotypes in the leaf-cutting ant (Atta vollenweideri).

Leaf-cutting ants (Atta vollenweideri) express a remarkable size polymorphism across the two sexual castes (queens and males) but in particular within the worker caste. Worker size is related to behavior (alloethism), separating workers into behavioral subcastes. The neuronal mechanisms underlying differences in behavior within the worker caste are still unknown. In this study, we first compared selected neuropils, in particular, the antennal lobes (AL) in males, queens, and workers. The males' ALs contain three extremely large, sex-specific glomeruli (macroglomeruli; MGs) and in total comprise fewer glomeruli (242) than the ALs of queens (about 346 glomeruli). In contrast to males, the queen ALs contain only one large glomerulus at a lateral position. The largest number of glomeruli was found in workers (396-442). In a previous paper, we described an MG in the workers' AL, and, in the second part of this study, we show that within workers two distinct, size-related AL phenotypes exist: the MG phenotype (containing a macroglomerulus) and the RG phenotype, with all glomeruli of regular size. This neuroanatomical polyphenism is established during pupal development and separates the worker caste into two neuroanatomical subcastes. Third, we investigate the functional significance of the MG in workers. By using calcium imaging to monitor activity of AL projection neurons, we show that the releaser component of the trail pheromone is represented in the same region as the MG. We propose that phenotypic trait variation in the organization of the ALs leads to differences in odor information processing that finally result in size-related differences in trail-following behavior.

Detecçäo magnética do circuito de ativaçäo de arritmia cardíaca induzida experimentalmente / Magnetic detection of activation circuit of cardiac arrhythmia experimentally induced

Com a finalidade de estudar o processo de ativação tecidual durante o "flutter atrial", foi desenvolvido um protocolo experimental para acompanhar de forma controlada a propagação circular da frente de onda de ativação elétrica em tecido isolado de coração de coelho através da técnica não-invasiva de detecção do campo magnético. As medidas foram feitas com blindagem magnética e com parâmetros de posição do tecido sob controle. Estudos da mgnitude e fase dos seis primeiros da série de Fourier foram realizados para melhorar a relação sinal/ruído e através de um processamento por mínimos quadráticos foi localizado o dipolo circular equivalente. A frente de onda de despolarização descreveu um movimento circular, caracterizando o padrão reentrante como mecanismo subjacente à arritmia

Abstract - ln order to study the tissue activation process during atrial flutter, an animal experimentation protocol has been developed to allow controlled studies of circular motion of the evolution front in rabbit atrium tissue through the non-invasive magnetic field detection technique. The measurement were performed inside a shielded chamber with the tissue position parameters under control. Noise-free time series were obtained by using the magnitude and phase of the first six harmonics of the Fourier Series and the position of the center of the equivalent circulating dipole were calculated using a least square procedure. The electrical activation of the tissue indeed appeared to move along a circular path, characterizing the rotating pattern of propagation as the underlying mechanism ofthe arrhythmia.