Acute Application of Imidacloprid Alters the Sensitivity of Direction Selective Motion Detecting Neurons in an Insect Pollinator

Cholinergic pesticides, such as the neonicotinoid imidacloprid, are most important insecticides used for plant protection worldwide. In recent decades, concerns have been raised about side effects on non-target insect species, including altered foraging behavior and navigation. Although pollinators rely visual cues to forage navigate their environment, of neonicotinoids processing largely overlooked. To test effect acute treatment with imidacloprid at known concentrations in brain, we developed a modified electrophysiological setup that allows recordings visually evoked responses while perfusing brain vivo . We obtained long-lasting from direction selective wide-field, motion sensitive neurons hoverfly pollinator, Eristalis tenax Neurons were treated (3.9 μM, 0.39 μM or sham control using solvent (dimethylsulfoxide) only. Exposure high, yet sub-lethal concentration significantly alters physiological response stimuli. observed general μM) increasing spontaneous activity, reducing contrast sensitivity giving weaker directional tuning wide-field moving stimuli, likely implications errors flight control, hovering routing. Our approach reveals robustness fly pathway against cholinergic perturbance (i.e., but also potential threatening pesticides evident 3.9 detecting system an pollinator.