Colin McNulty ’24, Julia Bonavolonta ’24, and Connor Barber ’24
Analyzing Behavior in Flies modeling Frontotemporal Dementia
Colin McNulty ’24, Biology major
Julia Bonavolonta ’24, Biology and Spanish major
Connor Barber ’24, Biology major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Marla Tipping, Biology
In this project, the goal is to be able to study the behavioral differences in Drosophila melanogaster who model the neurological disease frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Flies modeling FTD are placed into multiple different tubes and loaded into an activity monitor; the same is done with control flies who do not model FTD. Over time, this machine tracks sleep cycles, movement, eating habits, and other behaviors. These results are filed into a computer where they then are then analyzed in order to determine significant differences between the two groups. The goal of this portion of the project is to study the aforementioned characteristics of D. melanogaster, as well as how FTD specifically affects the learning capabilities of those expressing the genetic mutation implicated in FTD. Analyzing these behaviors ultimately provide valuable insight on how an organism’s actions and behaviors are affected as FTD progresses.
Poster Presentation: Tuesday, April 25, 2 – 4 p.m.
