Visual Ecology and Potassium Conductances of Insect Photoreceptors

Important insights into neurobiology are gained through comparisons of neural systems and processes across species. By understanding the differences between the nervous systems of animals in relation to their behavior and environmental challenges, we can ascertain how the nervous system integrates information and generates motor responses. In this podcast, Editor-in-Chief Bill Yates (University of Pittsburgh) and Associate Editor Patsy Dickinson (Bowdoin College) join lead author Roman Frolov (University of Oulu) in an enlightening discussion on the visual ecology and potassium conductances of photoreceptors in 15 species of various orders of insects characterized by highly variable lifestyles. What can the combination of electrophysiology and visual ecology tells us about Kv channel selection in insects? Listen and find out.

Visual ecology and potassium conductances of insect photoreceptors
Roman Frolov, Esa-Ville Immonen, Matti Weckström
Journal of Neurophysiology, published April 1, 2016. DOI: 10.1152/jn.00795.2015.