Brandon G. Pratt

This study identifies a proprioceptive sensor in Drosophila legs that detects movement limits and mediates sensorimotor reflexes through specific neural connections.

The paper reconstructs and analyzes the female Drosophila ventral nerve cord connectome, identifying neural circuits that coordinate wings and legs during escape takeoff.

The paper analyzes premotor circuits in Drosophila to compare leg and wing motor control networks, finding modular organization and differences in synaptic connectivity.

This study uses miniature treadmills to analyze adaptive motor control in Drosophila, showing that kinematics differ between treadmill and free walking, and that mechanosensory neurons affect stepping patterns.