Grant: Operating Grant

The presence and existence of others around us permeates our lives. It is interesting to consider that social interactions with the people we meet shape our character and are also shaped by the character of our schools, our commerce, our government, our media, our military, our children. Humans are not unique in this regard. Scientists have shown that group life is evident in many life forms from bacteria to humans. In all cases the primitive ability to cooperate strengthens the quality of life in the face of external challenges. For instance, it has long been appreciated that overcrowding may be harmful (for insects as well as mammals) but a too few in the group also expose an individual to danger and yet an optimal number of individuals does better than either extreme. Survival of the fittest requires adequate numbers (at the very least it takes two to reproduce). The observation that group life is important for many different forms of life suggests that at least some features of social interactions are inherited. Here we are proposing to extend our earlier studies funded by CIHR. These studies published in leading journals like Nature and Current Biology identify molecular, cellular, and behavioural mechanisms of social life in the fruitfly. We have shown that flies are like us: they synchronize their activities, form groups and find the scent of others attractive or repulsive. The studies proposed here will enable us to understand the inherited mechanisms controlling group life. Our studies are relevant to autism and schizophrenia.