Pollack Gerald S
Department of Biology, McGill University, 400 Walmer Road, #805, Toronto, ON, M5P2X7, Canada,
J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol. 2015 Jan;201(1):99-109. doi: 10.1007/s00359-014-0948-5. Epub 2014 Oct 11.
Ultrasound-driven avoidance responses have evolved repeatedly throughout the insecta as defenses against predation by echolocating bats. Although the auditory mechanics of ears and the properties of auditory receptor neurons have been studied in a number of groups, central neural processing of ultrasound stimuli has been examined in only a few cases. In this review, I summarize the neuronal basis for ultrasound detection and predator avoidance in crickets, tettigoniids, moths, and mantises, where central circuits have been studied most thoroughly. Several neuronal attributes, including steep intensity-response functions, high firing rates, and rapid spike conduction emerge as common themes of avoidance circuits. I discuss the functional consequences of these attributes, as well as the increasing complexity with which ultrasound stimuli are represented at successive levels of processing.
超声驱动的回避反应在整个昆虫纲中反复进化，作为抵御回声定位蝙蝠捕食的防御机制。尽管已经在许多类群中研究了耳朵的听觉机制和听觉受体神经元的特性，但仅在少数情况下研究了超声刺激的中枢神经处理。在这篇综述中，我总结了蟋蟀、螽斯、飞蛾和螳螂中超声检测和躲避捕食者的神经元基础，其中中枢回路的研究最为深入。几个神经元特性，包括陡峭的强度-反应函数、高放电率和快速的动作电位传导，成为回避回路的共同主题。我讨论了这些特性的功能后果，以及在连续处理水平上超声刺激表征的日益复杂性。
