Do Mosquitoes Have Brains?

Wouter

Compared to the human brain, the mosquitoes’ brains are much simpler. It helps them see, move, and detect scents and heat. The mosquitoes’ brains also help them to taste and digest substances. In addition, the mosquitoes’ brains help them to detect danger. They carry diseases that are dangerous for humans.

Researchers from the University of Washington studied female mosquitoes’ brains in order to understand how these insects perceive smells and visual stimuli. The female mosquito’s brain acts as a central command center, integrating signals from the olfactory and visual systems. It directs the female mosquito to seek out a potential meal. Specifically, the female mosquito’s brain focuses the visual system to search for a possible host and the olfactory system to detect odor molecules and potential meal.

The study was published in Current Biology. The study was supported by the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute. The findings will help scientists develop new methods for controlling mosquitoes.

The researchers quantified the cell population in mosquitoes’ brains. The cell population was similar to Drosophila. The neuronal cell population was greater than the non-neurons. The non-neurons’ population was estimated by subtracting elav-positive neuronal cells from DAPI-stained cells.

Although the non-neurons’ population was smaller in the mosquito species’ entire brain than in Drosophila, this didn’t indicate a difference in cell count. The non-neurons’ population is estimated to be around 31,000 cells in mosquitoes. It is likely to be made up of glia.

The researchers were unable to identify sexual dimorphism in the mosquito brain cell populations using isotropic fractionation (IF) analyses. However, previous research has suggested that gender-specific neural circuitry exists in the insect brain.

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