Person
Jesuthasan, Suresh
|
|
Biography and Research Interest
1990 B. Sc. (Electrical Engineering) Stanford University
1994 D. Phil. (Zoology), Oxford University
1995-1999 Post doc with Friedrich Bonhoeffer, MPI Tuebingen.
1999 - present Group Leader
Research Interests
I am interested in the neural basis of emotion, and in the broader question of what drives human behavior. An experimentally tractable emotion is fear, as it is easily perceived in other organisms. A suite of behaviors characterizes the state of fear, and these can be measured objectively.
The experimental paradigm that we use in the lab is primarily the alarm response. This behavior was first noticed in the 1930’s by Karl von Frisch. He observed that injury to one minnow caused a fright reaction in other members of the school. He demonstrated that the skin contained substances, termed Schreckstoff, which act via the olfactory system to trigger a state of fear. The fish change their swimming behavior dramatically - either darting or freezing - in response to this alarm pheromone.
Subsequent experiments by other scientists established that many freshwater fish species have this response. All the classical hallmarks of fear, including physiological changes such as increase in blood cortisol levels, can be triggered by Schreckstoff.
There are a number of projects in the lab aimed at understanding how different levels of fear are generated. As a starting point, we have embarked on purification and identification of Schreckstoff. We have also carried out calcium imaging of the brain to identify neurons involved. A preliminary genetic screen was carried out in Tuebingen, and this has led to the identification of potential mutations affecting the response.
1994 D. Phil. (Zoology), Oxford University
1995-1999 Post doc with Friedrich Bonhoeffer, MPI Tuebingen.
1999 - present Group Leader
Research Interests
I am interested in the neural basis of emotion, and in the broader question of what drives human behavior. An experimentally tractable emotion is fear, as it is easily perceived in other organisms. A suite of behaviors characterizes the state of fear, and these can be measured objectively.
The experimental paradigm that we use in the lab is primarily the alarm response. This behavior was first noticed in the 1930’s by Karl von Frisch. He observed that injury to one minnow caused a fright reaction in other members of the school. He demonstrated that the skin contained substances, termed Schreckstoff, which act via the olfactory system to trigger a state of fear. The fish change their swimming behavior dramatically - either darting or freezing - in response to this alarm pheromone.
Subsequent experiments by other scientists established that many freshwater fish species have this response. All the classical hallmarks of fear, including physiological changes such as increase in blood cortisol levels, can be triggered by Schreckstoff.
There are a number of projects in the lab aimed at understanding how different levels of fear are generated. As a starting point, we have embarked on purification and identification of Schreckstoff. We have also carried out calcium imaging of the brain to identify neurons involved. A preliminary genetic screen was carried out in Tuebingen, and this has led to the identification of potential mutations affecting the response.
Non-Zebrafish Publications