The Effects of Ethanol on the Behavioral and Developmental Aspects of Drosophila melanogaster
Session Number
C26
Advisor(s)
Vandana Chinwalla, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
Location
B-131 Grainger
Start Date
28-4-2016 1:10 PM
End Date
28-4-2016 1:40 PM
Abstract
Prenatal exposure to ethanol has been known to cause irreversible neurobehavioral abnormalities, developmental delay, and hindrances in growth. Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is known to be the primary cause of mental retardation in the United States. Drosophila, the fruit fly, show comparable signs of intoxication and behavioral stimulation to that of mammals and has been used as a model organism. Our study focused on various olfactory and instinctual tests including larvae learning training, adult Tmaze testing, and negative geotaxis. These assays tested the memory and learning capabilities of larvae and adults that had been exposed to 5% ethanol compared to those of a control group. Although we did not collect data on the fertility of flies, we have observed reduced fertility in those flies raised on ethanol. Preliminary results indicate that the flies have learned with the t-maze and larvae training, but there is no significant difference between the test and control groups. As approximately one to three babies per one thousand births in the United States are affected by FAS, the need to understand the behavioral, learning and developmental effects of this disease is imperative.
The Effects of Ethanol on the Behavioral and Developmental Aspects of Drosophila melanogaster
B-131 Grainger
Prenatal exposure to ethanol has been known to cause irreversible neurobehavioral abnormalities, developmental delay, and hindrances in growth. Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is known to be the primary cause of mental retardation in the United States. Drosophila, the fruit fly, show comparable signs of intoxication and behavioral stimulation to that of mammals and has been used as a model organism. Our study focused on various olfactory and instinctual tests including larvae learning training, adult Tmaze testing, and negative geotaxis. These assays tested the memory and learning capabilities of larvae and adults that had been exposed to 5% ethanol compared to those of a control group. Although we did not collect data on the fertility of flies, we have observed reduced fertility in those flies raised on ethanol. Preliminary results indicate that the flies have learned with the t-maze and larvae training, but there is no significant difference between the test and control groups. As approximately one to three babies per one thousand births in the United States are affected by FAS, the need to understand the behavioral, learning and developmental effects of this disease is imperative.