פרופ' אמיר אילי

Amir Ayali is a neuroethologist; his major research focus is on behavior and neural mechanisms of behavior in invertebrates, and specifically insect models. Other interests of his lab include nervous system development and plasticity. Several recent projects engage with bio-mimetic and bio-inspired technology in relation to insect modes of locomotion.

For publications before 2012, please visit website

Fuchs E., Holmes P. David T. and Ayali A.(2012) Proprioceptive feedback reinforces centrally-generated stepping patterns in the cockroach. J. Exp. Biol., 215:1884-1891(Abstract)

Ribak G., Rand D., Weihs D. and Ayali A. (2012) Evasive steering in flying locusts as evoked by looming objects. J. Comp Physiol A., 198:541-555 (Abstract)

Rand D. Knebel D. and Ayali A.  (2012) Octopamine neuromodulation in the locust stomatogastric nervous system.  Front. Invert. Physiol., 3:288 (Abstract)

Guershon M., Ayali A., Golenser E. and Pener M.P. (2012) A juvenile hormone analogue enhances homosexual behaviour in female-deprived males of the migratory locust. Physiol. Entomol., 37:291-294 (Abstract)

Ayali A. (2012) Models of Invertebrate Neurons in Culture. J. Mol. Histol., 43, 379-381(Abstract)

Saad Y., Anabusi M., Anava S., Nadav G., Yerushalmi Y. and Ayali A. (2012) Fly neurons in culture: a model for neural development and pathology.  J. Mol. Histol., 43, 421-430 (Abstract)

Orki O., Ayali A., Shai O. and Ben-Hanan U.  (2012) A Caterpillar locomotion model based on Assur Tensegrity Structures. Bioinspir. Biomim., 7(4): 046006 (Abstract)

Guershon M., Ayali A. (2012) Innate phase behavior in the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria.  Insect Sci., 19: 649-656 (Abstract).

Berman T.S., Ayali A., and Gefen, E.  (2013) Neural Control of Gas Exchange Patterns in Insects: Locust Density-Dependent Phases as a Test Case.  PLoS One, 8(3):e59967(Abstract).

Ben-Nun A., Guershon M. and Ayali A.  (2013) Self-body-size perception in an insect.Naturwissenschaften 100: 479-484 (Abstract).

Anava S., Saad Y. and Ayali A. (2013) The role of gap junction proteins in the development of neural network functional topology. Insect Mol. Biol. 22:457-472(Abstract).

Gueijman A., Ayali A., Ram Y., and Hadany L. (2013) Dispersing away from bad genotypes: The evolution of Fitness-Associated Dispersal (FAD) in homogeneous environments. BMC Evol. Biol. 13:125 (Abstract).

de Santos-Sierra D., Sendiña-Nadal I., Leyva I., Almendral J.A., Anava S., Ayali A.,Papo D., Boccaletti S. (2014) Emergence of small-world anatomical networks in self-organizing clustered neuronal cultures. PLoS One 9(1): e85828

Ariel G., Ophir Y., Levi S., Ben-Jacob E. and Ayali A. (2014) Individuals’ intermittent motion is instrumental to the formation and maintenance of swarms of marching locust nymphs. PLoS One 9(7): e101636.

Saad Y., Segal D. and Ayali A. (2014) Enhanced neurite outgrowth and branching precede increased amyloid-beta-induced neuronal apoptosis in an in-vitro Alzheimer's model. J. Alzheimers. Dis. In press

Cattan A., Ayali A. and Barnea A. The cell birth marker BrdU does not affect recruitment of subsequent cell divisions in the adult avian brain. BioMed Research International, special issue on "Biomarkers of Brain Function and Injury: Biological and Clinical Significance. In press

de Santos-Sierra D., Sendiña-Nadal I., Leyva I., Almendral J.A., Ayali A., Anava S., Sánchez-Ávila C., Boccaletti S. Graph-based unsupervised segmentation algorithm for cultured neuronal networks' structure characterization and modeling. Cytometry. In press

Couzin-Fuchs E., Kiemel T., Gal O., Ayali A. and Holmes P.  Intersegmental coupling and recovery from perturbations in
freely-running cockroaches. J. Exp. Biol. In press 

Ayali A., Couzin-Fuchs E., David I., Gal O., Holmes P. and Knebel D.  Sensory feedback in cockroach locomotion: current knowledge and open questions. J. Comp. Physiol. A. In press (DOI 10.1007/s00359-014-0968-1) 

Gal O., Couzin-Fuchs E., Holmes P. and Ayali A. The role of chordotonal organs in the control of cockroach locomotion. Under review