Document Type
Thesis
Publication Date
1997
Disciplines
Biology
Advisor
Marilyn Meinke
Copyright Statement
Available by permission of the author. Reproduction or retransmission of this material in any form is prohibited without expressed written permission of the author.
Recommended Citation
Forsman-Earl, Cynthia, "Serotonin Production and Neuron Proliferation in Drosophila melanogaster in Two Environments" (1997). Honors Theses, 1963-2015. 591.
https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/honors_theses/591
Comments
Environmental stimulus is suspected to play a role in both serotonin levels and neuron proliferation in the brain. To understand the relationship between environmental stimulus and serotonin levels Drosophila melanogaster were raised in two different environments, a stimulus rich and a stimulus deprived environment. The heads were isolated at different times and assayed for serotonin using an ELISA. The heads were also microscopically examined to determine if there were changes in neuroanatomical structures. It was observed that serotonin levels rose in flies that were reared in the stimulus rich environment. It was also observed that over time the flies reared in the stimulus rich environment had a change in character of the neuroanatomical structure, the protocerebral bridge.