Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research

Conservation and diversification of mating behavior patterns among three sibling species in the Drosophila subobscura species subgroup

The paper compares mating behaviors of three Drosophila species to explore the genomic and neural basis of rapid behavioral divergence.

FLP-15 modulates the amplitude of body bends during locomotion in Caenorhabditis elegans

This study shows that FLP-15 modulates body-bend amplitude in C. elegans, affecting reversal direction and locomotion patterns through NPR-3 and NLP-12 regulation.

A single NPFR neuropeptide F receptor neuron that regulates thirst behaviors in Drosophila

The paper identifies a single neuron, L1-l, in Drosophila that is critical for thirsty water seeking and regulated by the NPF neuropeptide.

A gut-brain axis for aversive interoception drives innate and anticipatory emesis in Drosophila.

This study identifies an aversive gut-brain axis in Drosophila that detects toxin-induced gut damage and triggers both innate and learned anticipatory emesis.

Resilin, the gene for the molecular spring: its roles in the flight and jumpingof Drosophila

This study investigates the role of Resilin in Drosophila flight and jumping, showing that its knockdown impairs wing movement and reduces jump distance, with Duox playing a critical role in its polymerization.

The central complex of the larval fruit fly brain

The paper identifies a putative larval central complex in Drosophila melanogaster, showing structural and connectivity similarities to the adult CX.

Descending neurons integrate learnt information from mushroom body with context to promote escape behaviour

The paper identifies a circuit mechanism in Drosophila larvae where descending neurons integrate learned information and contextual cues to activate specific escape behaviors.

Mutations in antimicrobial peptides differently affect sleep and plasticity

This study shows that mutations in different antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in Drosophila affect sleep and sleep-dependent functions differently, with Group C mutants showing unique sleep and memory impairments despite reduced sleep.

Statistical Olfactory Learning in Honey Bees

This study demonstrates that honey bees can learn and recall the temporal structure of odorant sequences, indicating statistical learning is a conserved cognitive ability in invertebrates.

A multisensory, bidirectional, valence encoder guides behavioral decisions

The paper identifies a neuron in Drosophila larvae that bi-directionally encodes valence and guides navigation based on sensory cues.

Differential temporal filtering in the fly optic lobe

The paper simulates the fly optic lobe network to show that H-currents in lamina cells determine the transient or sustained response dynamics of downstream neurons.

Evolution of the olfactory system during the radiation of Heliconiini butterflies

This study examines olfactory system evolution in Heliconiini butterflies, finding that antennal lobe size variation results from glomerular and hub volume shifts, with developmental plasticity influenced by environmental conditions.

Combining brain-wide activity imaging with electron microscopy reveals a distributed brain network for processing threatening somatosensory stimuli

The paper combines brain-wide activity imaging with electron microscopy to identify a distributed neural network for processing threatening somatosensory stimuli in Drosophila larvae.

Blood-derived dietary protein promotes sleep in the mosquito Aedes aegypti

This study shows that blood-derived dietary protein increases sleep and reduces activity in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, suggesting a role for protein in regulating postprandial sleep behavior.

Gut epithelium modifies enteric behaviors during nutritional adversity via distinct peptidergic signaling axes

The paper shows midgut epithelial cells in C. elegans regulate feeding and defecation behaviors by modulating neuropeptidergic signaling to the enteric nervous system under different nutritional conditions.

Transcriptional Interference Gates Monogenic Odorant Receptor Expression in Ants

The paper shows that transcriptional interference, including non-canonical readthrough and bidirectional promoters, suppresses upstream OR genes while allowing single OR expression in ants.

Comparative Connectomics Highlights Conserved Architectural Synaptic Motifs in the Drosophila Mushroom Body

The paper maps convergent synaptic motifs in the Drosophila Mushroom Body using connectome data, revealing their conserved architecture and potential role in associative learning.

Directing egg traffic: Internal mechanosensory feedback modulates rhythmic motor activity to coordinate ovulation in Drosophila

This study identifies a novel mechanosensory circuit in Drosophila that uses TMC-expressing neurons to coordinate ovulation and prevent egg jamming through sensory feedback to motoneurons.

Genomic plasticity drives olfactory adaptation in a pest fly

The paper shows how genomic plasticity in chemosensory genes enables olfactory adaptation in Drosophila suzukii, allowing it to shift preferences to ripe fruits.

Presynaptic inhibition selectively suppresses leg proprioception in behaving Drosophila

The paper identifies a neural circuit in Drosophila that suppresses movement-encoding proprioceptive signals during self-generated leg movements.

The inversion In(2L)t impacts complex, environmentally sensitive behaviors in Drosophila melanogaster

This study examines how the In(2L)t inversion in Drosophila melanogaster affects environmentally sensitive behaviors, showing sex-specific and temperature-consistent impacts on activity, foraging, and startle response.

Individual olfactory channels shape distinct parameters of sleep architecture

This study identifies how different olfactory receptor neuron types influence sleep architecture and shows that these effects vary with mating status and serotonin receptor expression.

Accept-reject decision-making revealed via a quantitative and ethological study of C. elegans foraging

This study uses C. elegans to show that foraging decisions involve a switch from exploration to exploitation based on sensory input, satiety, and learned environmental statistics.

Entirely synthetic memory inception via dual optogenetic activation of sensory and dopaminergic neurons

The paper shows that optogenetic activation of sensory and dopaminergic neurons can induce synthetic associative memories in vinegar flies, demonstrating that simple coincident stimulation is sufficient for memory formation.

The role of miR-9a in modulating sensory neuron morphology and mating behavior in Drosophila melanogaster.

This study identifies miR-9a as a regulator of sensory neuron morphology and mating behavior in Drosophila, showing its role in non-cell autonomous and cell-intrinsic mechanisms.

Stress-induced organismal death is genetically regulated by the mTOR-Zeste-Phae1 axis

This study identifies the mTOR-Z-Phae1 axis as a genetic pathway regulating stress-induced organismal death in Drosophila larvae.

An Innate Immune Receptor Toll-1 converts chronic light stress into glial-phagocytosis

This study identifies a neuron-glia signaling axis where Toll-1 converts chronic light stress into glial-phagocytosis, leading to axonal degeneration.

Feeding-state dependent modulation of reciprocally interconnected inhibitory neurons biases sensorimotor decisions in Drosophila

The paper shows that feeding state modulates inhibitory neurons in Drosophila, biasing sensorimotor decisions by altering aversive response competition.

Electrophysiological recordings reveal photoreceptor coupling in the dorsal rim areas of honeybee and bumblebee eyes

This study uses electrophysiological recordings to show photoreceptor coupling in the dorsal rim areas of honeybee and bumblebee eyes, enhancing receptive field size for polarization detection.

Chemosensory Adaptations in Caenorhabditis Males during the Establishment of Androdioecy.

This study investigates chemosensory adaptations in Caenorhabditis males during the transition to androdioecy, finding that males exhibit altered olfactory behavior and that these traits can be reverted by restoring ancestral receptor function.