'Frame of mind’ – How neurochemical modulation mediates context-dependent decision-making in social insects?

How is the physiological state of social insects such as bumblebees, ants, or honeybees related to their neurochemical state? Neurobiologists Divya Ramesh and Christoph Kleinadam are sure there is a connection, since the behaviour an animal displays is the outcome of both its internal physiological state as well as the sensory environment and its context. The project 'Frame of mind’ – How neurochemical modulation mediates context-dependent decision-making in social insects? brings together classical animal behaviour approaches with chemical analytics.

So far, most studies of neuromodulation address the effect of individual chemicals, or only a small handful of them. “In our novel approach, we quantify 13 different neurochemicals and their synthesis precursors, thus providing a holistic view of the neurochemical state of the individuals,” says Ramesh. Kleinadam adds: “To have a unified single method that is transferable to all organisms, to subject them to similar contexts and to be able to compare the changes in neurochemical signatures at the level of individual brain parts is cutting edge.”