Initiation of behavior by single neurons: the role of behavioral context.
Flying crickets avoid sources of ultrasound, possibly echolocating bats, by making rapid steering movements that turn them away from the stimulus. Electrical stimulation of a single, identified sensory interneuron (Int-1) elicits avoidance steering; depressing its response to ultrasound abolishes avoidance steering. Int-1 is necessary and sufficient for this behavior but only while the cricket is in flight. Thus, the sufficiency of Int-1 for eliciting this behavior is contingent on behavioral context.
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005426:Flight, Animal; D007839:Functional Laterality; D007395:Interneurons / Q000502:physiology*; D008564:Membrane Potentials; D009043:Motor Activity; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000502:physiology*; D009987:Orthoptera / Q000502:physiology*; D014465:Ultrasonics