Insecticides and visual motion detection

Researchers report effects of insecticides on insect visual processing. Neonicotinoids are a widely-used class of insecticides implicated in declines of nontarget insect species, such as bees. The recently-developed sulfoximine insecticides act on the same target as the neonicotinoids, but can affect insects resistant to the latter. The sublethal effects of neonicotinoids and sulfoximines remain unclear, however, preventing an understanding of the full risks of these compounds. John Gray and colleagues investigated the effects of a neonicotinoid, imidacloprid, and sulfoxaflor, a sulfoximine, on collision avoidance behavior in locusts. Locusts exposed to sublethal doses of either insecticide were presented with a visual looming stimulus. Locusts exposed to sublethal doses of sulfoxaflor exhibited a normal jumping escape response to the stimulus, whereas those exposed to imidacloprid did not exhibit this response, despite both insecticides having similar lethality. The authors identified several distinct populations of neurons responsive to the looming stimulus and found significantly reduced spontaneous firing rates and neural habituation relative to controls in imidacloprid-treated but not sulfoxaflor-treated locusts. The results suggest that neonicotinoids, but not sulfoximines, may inhibit tuning of visual sensory circuits at sublethal doses, and that the two insecticide classes might exert their effects through different mechanisms, according to the authors.

Article #19-16432: “Neonicotinoid and sulfoximine pesticides differentially impair insect escape behavior and motion detection,” by Rachel H. Parkinson, Sinan Zhang, and John R. Gray.

MEDIA CONTACT: John R. Gray, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, CANADA; tel: 306-966-4274, 306-717-9686; e-mail:

[email protected]

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This part of information is sourced from https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-02/potn-iav021920.php

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