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Dr. Thomas G. Nolen "Everything I needed to know in
State University of New York |
| "I'm NOT getting gray, |
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B.A. Aquatic Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara |
"In religion and politics, people's
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My research is integrative and combines behavioral, anatomical and physiological approaches to discover neural mechanisms underlying adaptive behavior. My interests include synaptic mechanisms of sound analysis in insects, especially the role of active and passive dendritic processing in identified neurons; chemical defenses in gastropod mollusks and the effect of natural defenses on potential predators; and the development of behavior and learning in the marine snail Aplysia.
Recently I have examined the neural basis of frequency discrimination and sound source localization in insects, with an emphasis on mechanisms of sensory integration. In addition, we have been looking at the functional significance of ultrasound in the cricket's rivalry and courtship songs. Other work involves functional studies of the chemical defensive behavior of Aplysia in response to predation, as well as developmental studies of neurotransmitter systems involved in different forms of learning in Aplysia.
I study behavior at the organismal level and in reduced and isolated physiological preparations. Intracellular recordings from identified neurons and extracellular recordings from nerve roots are used to identify physiological analogs of the behavior. Anatomical techniques, including pathway tracing, intracellular dye injection and biochemical characterization (immunohistochemical staining resolved at the light- and electron microscopic levels), allow the identification of functional groups of neurons involved in well defined behaviors.
"Well, art is art, isn't it? Still, on the other hand, water is water! And east is east and west is west and if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb does. Now, uh... you tell me what you know." --Groucho Marx
Tom's Research Activites -- Some Representative Publications:
Nolen, T.G., Johnson, P.M., Kicklighter and Capo, T. (1995). Ink secretion by the marine snail Aplysia californica enhances its ability to escape from a natural predator. J. Comp. Physiol. A. 176:239-254. [abstract]
Nolen, T.G. and Carew, T.J. (1994). The ontogeny of serotonin immunoreactivity in juvenile Aplysia californica: Implications for the emergence of learning. Behav. Neur. Biol. 61(3):282-295.
Marcus, E.A., Nolen, T.G., Rankin, C.H., and Carew, T.J. (1988). Behavioral dissociation of dishabituation, sensitization and inhibition in the siphon withdrawal reflex of adult Aplysia. Science. 241:210-213.
Nolen, T.G. and Hoy, R.R. (1987). Postsynaptic inhibition mediates high-frequency selectivity in the cricket Teleogryllus oceanicus: Implications for flight phonotaxis behavior. J. Neurosci. 7:2081-2096.
Nolen, T.G. and Hoy, R.R. (1984). Initiation of behavior by single neurons: The role of behavioral context. Science. 226:992-994.
Nelson, C.M. and Nolen, T.G. (1997). Mate choice by female crickets: The role of vocalization following male-male aggressive territorial interactions. J. Insect Behavior. 10(4):557-570. [abstract]
Coelho, L., Prince, J. and Nolen, T. (1998). Processing of defensive pigment in Aplysia californica: Acquisition, modification and mobilization of the red algal pigment, r-phycoerythrin by the digestive gland. J. Exp. Biol. 201: 425-438. [abstract]
Prince, J., Nolen, T. and Coelho, L. (1998). Defensive ink pigment processing and secretion in Aplysia californica: Concentration and storage of phycoerythrobilin in the ink gland J. Exp. Biol. 201:1595-1613. [abstract]
More Recent Stuff:
Nolen, T.G. and Johnson, PM. (2001). Defensive inking in Aplysia spp: Multiple episodes of ink secretion and the adaptive use of a limited chemical resource. J. Exp. Biol. 204 (7):1257-1268.
Satterlie, R.A. and Nolen, T.G. (2001). Why do Cubomedusae have only four pacemakers? J. Exp. Biol. 204 (8):1413-1419.
Nolen, T.G. and Rudikoff, G. A test of the role of rivalry song in aggressive encounters between male crickets (Acheta domestica). (In preparation).
Carlson, B. and Nolen, T.G. The effect of Aplysia's defensive chemical ink on the dactyl chemoreceptors of predatory crabs (Cancer anntenarius). (In preparation). AND SEE: Soc. Neurosci. Abstr. 23:188. [abstract]
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Spring |
Bio 412 |
Evolutionary Theory |
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Bio 525 |
Animal Communication |
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Fall |
Bio 111 |
Introduction to Animal Life |
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Bio 418 |
Animal Behavior |