Behavioral Electrophysiology in Manduca Sexta: The Explore/Exploit Framework

Clicks: 6
ID: 325120
2026
Free PDF
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score — reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal
Emerging

Ranked #46 of 114 articles by views in integrative and comparative biology

Most read Least read

Bar heights use a square-root scale.

Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet minted

Create a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.

5 SUSD one-off · no wallet required
Sign in to mint
Abstract
Animal behavior is inherently multi-scale. Traditional neuroethology approaches have focused on the neural circuit level and free behavior level studies. In bridging the behavioral-neural divide, simultaneous neural recordings with behavioral readouts have been immensely successful in recent years. However, such studies often need vast resources and technological investment, often with fragile and expensive measurement tools. Therefore, there is a need for frugal-science style devices for neuroethology. We define a class of such tools called "Exploratory Tools" using a six-point criteria. These are tools meant to be used in an exploratory manner in overcoming methodological challenges in technically complex and uncertain experiments. We outline their utility under the "Explore/Exploit framework", an approach involving the use of such specialized "Exploratory Tools" in combination with conventional, high-end devices. We advocate for the adoption of this type of framework into academic culture. As case study for such tools, we performed "Behavioral Electrophysiology" on the hawkmoth Manduca sexta with simultaneous measurement of neural activity and flapping force. The force measurements were made with a novel, low-cost force transducer as a binary behavioral readout. This hybrid approach enabled an assessment of our experimental challenges, and allowed us to test critical innovations such as a wing-release mechanism and a new kind of syringe-hook apparatus.
Reference Key
openalex_W7203649804 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Varun Prabodh Sharma, Debapriya Ghosh
Journal integrative and comparative biology
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/icb/icag148
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icag148
Keywords Keywords not found

Citations

No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.