title: The Drosophila agnostic Locus: Involvement in the Formation of Cognitive Defects in Williams Syndrome.
abstract: The molecular basis of the pathological processes that lead to genome disorders is similar both in invertebrates and mammals. Since cognitive impairments in Williams syndrome are caused by LIMK1 hemizygosity, could the spontaneous and mutant variants of the Drosophila limk1 gene serve as a model for studying two diagnostic features from three distinct cognitive defects of the syndrome? These two symptoms are the disturbance of visuospatial orientation and an unusualy strong fixation on the faces of other people during pairwise interaction with a stranger. An experimental approach to the first cognitive manifestation might be an analysis of the locomotor behavior of Drosophila larvae involving visuospatial orientation during the exploration of the surrounding environment. An approach to tackle the second manifestation might be an analysis of the most natural ways of contact between a male and a female during courtship (the first stage of this ritual is the orientation of a male towards a female and following the female with constant fixation on the female's image). The present study of locomotor activity and cognitive repertoire in spontaneous and mutant variants of the Drosophila agnostic locus allows one to bridge alterations in the structure of the limk1 gene and behavior.
authors.affiliation: Pavlov Institute of Physiology RAS, nab. Makarova, 6, 199034, St. Petersburg, Russia ; Herzen State Pedagogical University, nab. r. Moyki, 48, 191186, St. Petersburg, Russia.
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Nikitina
authors.affiliation: Pavlov Institute of Physiology RAS, nab. Makarova, 6, 199034, St. Petersburg, Russia ; Saint-Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya nab., 7-9, 199034, St. Petersburg, Russia.
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Medvedeva
authors.affiliation: Pavlov Institute of Physiology RAS, nab. Makarova, 6, 199034, St. Petersburg, Russia ; Saint-Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya nab., 7-9, 199034, St. Petersburg, Russia.
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Zakharov
authors.affiliation: Pavlov Institute of Physiology RAS, nab. Makarova, 6, 199034, St. Petersburg, Russia ; Saint-Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya nab., 7-9, 199034, St. Petersburg, Russia.
authors.forename: E V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Savvateeva-Popova
keywords: Drosophila; LIMK1; Williams syndrome; learning; locomotor activity; memory
references.citation: Neuroreport. 1999 Jun 3;10(8):1653-7
references.pmid: 10501552
references.citation: Genetika. 2004 Jun;40(6):749-69
references.pmid: 15341266
references.citation: J Clin Invest. 2008 May;118(5):1606-15
references.pmid: 18452001
references.citation: Dokl Akad Nauk SSSR. 1978;243(6):1564-7
references.pmid: 217577
references.citation: Dev Psychopathol. 2008 Winter;20(1):1-35
references.pmid: 18211726
references.citation: Neurosci Behav Physiol. 2000 May-Jun;30(3):307-13
references.pmid: 10970024
references.citation: Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 1981 May;14(5):603-11
references.pmid: 6264500
references.citation: Zh Evol Biokhim Fiziol. 2002 Nov-Dec;38(6):557-77
references.pmid: 12625060
references.citation: Genetika. 2008 Jun;44(6):771-83
references.pmid: 18727387
references.citation: Learn Mem. 1999 Jan-Feb;6(1):1-20
references.pmid: 10355520