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Active Projects

Our list of projects and contact persons

1. The evolution of neural systems underlying the divergence in acoustic communication in crickets: The goal of this project is to understand the ways in which neural systems evolve in response to ecological pressures in the field. The communication system of bush crickets and crickets involves both a call production system and a call reception system, and these involve two very different groups of neurons bound by the same forces of selection, by the requirement of successful communication for mate co-localization for propagation of the species.

1a. We look at this with respect to first quantifying the ecological parameters governing the communication system of Orthopterans (bushcrickets and crickets) from two tropical rainforests of India: Meghalaya and North-East India; and Coorg and the Western Ghats. Aarini Ghosh leads this approach in the lab.

1b. To investigate the neurophysiology and neuroanatomy of the auditory circuitry that receives and processes the call as well as the neural circuit involved in generating the pattern produced by motor cells in the song production circuit. Vivek and Vikrant would be contact persons for joining this part of the work.

1c. To look at the neurogenetic basis for call production and reception in bushcrickets : Anindo will be leading this approach.

2. Zebrafish quantitative and economic cognition: The overall goal of these projects is to examine the ways in which quantitative cognition functions in the zebrafish system.We already have a couple of manuscripts out looking at economic and quantitative cognition, and these projects will take forward this line of research:

2a. Abhishek Singh leads a set of projects looking at economic rationality in zebrafish social decision making relative to decoy effects, and another by Abhishek and Prabhat looks at rational decision making in zebrafish with respect to internal hunger states and social boldness. A lot of undergraduate students have joined this project, and you can contact Abhishek for the same.

2b. A second project led by Nawaf Majeed works on movement perception and quantitative cognition by zebrafish larvae in the context of social decision making as well as foraging and predator evasion.

2c. A third project by Ritu Panda is part of a collaborative project on rationality in zebrafish decision making between economic goods that matter to zebrafish.

2d. Chronic unpredictable early life stress (CUELS) produces persistent alterations in behaviour and overall physiology in numerous animal models similar to those observed clinically, but its impact on pain-evoked behavioural responses is less well- understood. This study examines the effect of a 7-day CUELS protocol administered to wild zebrafish larvae.

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