Motor learning and body size within an insect brain computational model

Abstract

Nowadays modeling insect brains is also an important source of inspiration to develop learning architectures and control algorithms for applications on autonomous walking robots. Within the insect brain two important neuropiles received a lot of attention: the mushroom bodies (MBs) and the central complex (CX). Recent research activities considered the MBs as a unique architecture where different behavioural functions can be found. MBs are well known in bees and flies for their role in performing associative learning and memory in odor conditioning experiments [4]. They are also involved in the processing of multiple sensory modalities including visual tasks [3], different forms of learning in choice behavior [5] and also in motor learning [6]. The CX is mainly considered as a center for the initiation of behaviors; it is responsible for visual navigation, spatial memory and visual feature extraction [7,8] © 2014 Springer International Publishing.