Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research

Genetic and behavioral analyses suggest that larval and adult stages of Lucilia cuprina employ different sensory systems to detect rotten beef

This study identifies differences in sensory systems between larval and adult stages of Lucilia cuprina, showing ORs are essential for adult female behavior but not larval detection of rotten beef.

Molecular characterization of gustatory second-order neurons reveals integrative mechanisms of gustatory and metabolic information

The paper identifies G2Ns in Drosophila and shows their molecular profiles change with metabolic state and they integrate gustatory and metabolic signals.

Autophagy-driven Presynaptic Reorganization as a Molecular Signature of Brain Resilience.

This study shows that autophagy in Drosophila mushroom bodies regulates synaptic architecture and sleep resilience by modulating presynaptic active zone proteins and triggering a systemic proteostatic stress response.

Avoidance engages dopaminergic punishment in Drosophila

The paper shows that inducing backward movement in Drosophila engages dopaminergic punishment and supports aversive memories, explaining the avoidance paradox.

Odorant receptors mediating avoidance of toxic mustard oils in Drosophila melanogaster are expanded in herbivorous relatives

This study identifies odorant receptors in Drosophila that detect toxic mustard oils, showing that herbivorous relatives have expanded and adapted these receptors for hostplant recognition.

Sleep promotes aversive value coding in Drosophila

This study shows that sleep in Drosophila alters the coding of odor value in dopamine neurons, leading to more aversive odor representations and behavioral changes upon arousal.

The Ataxin-2 protein is required in Kenyon cells for RNP-granule assembly and appetitive long-term memory formation.

This study shows Ataxin-2 is required in Kenyon cells for mRNP granule assembly and appetitive long-term memory formation in Drosophila.

Analysis of molecular and cellular bases of honey bee mushroom body development

The paper identifies genes and cellular processes involved in honey bee mushroom body development, showing differences from Drosophila.

Insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling pathway promotes higher fat storage in Drosophila females

This study identifies the insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling pathway as a key determinant of higher fat storage in Drosophila females through increased dietary sugar intake and Dilp3 expression.

Functional characterization of Ixodes neuropeptide receptors

The paper identifies and characterizes three neuropeptide receptor systems in Ixodes ticks, showing their activation by specific ligands and expression patterns.

Evolution of lateralized gustation in nematodes

The paper shows that nematodes use left/right asymmetric neurons to process salt cues, revealing evolutionary changes in gustatory systems despite limited neuron numbers.

Simultaneous recording of spikes and calcium signals in odor-evoked responses of Drosophila antennal neurons

The paper develops a dual-modality method to record spikes and calcium signals in Drosophila ORNs, showing that calcium responses correlate with spike activity across different conditions.

A stretching mechanism evokes mechano-electrical transduction in auditory chordotonal neurons

The paper investigates the mechano-electrical transduction mechanism in auditory chordotonal neurons by combining 3D ultrastructure, motion analysis, and electrophysiology.

Spatial constraints and cell surface molecule depletion structure a randomly connected learning circuit

The paper investigates how Kenyon cells in insect mushroom bodies form combinatorial connections with olfactory projection neurons through spatial and molecular mechanisms.

The Challenge of Choosing a Negative Control: A Behavioural and Morphological Characterization of Various unc-43 LOF Alleles in the Model Organism C. elegans

The paper evaluates phenotypic variation among unc-43 LOF alleles in C. elegans to identify reliable reference alleles for future studies.

Modality specific memory enhancement in Heliconius butterflies

Heliconius butterflies retain odour associations over eight days no better than outgroup Heliconiini, contrasting with their superior visual long-term memory, consistent with a modality-specific memory enhancement.

Forgetting in Drosophila consists of an increase in uncertainty rather than a stochastic loss of memory

The paper shows that forgetting in Drosophila involves increased uncertainty rather than memory loss, with similar mechanisms for long-term and age-related forgetting.

Four neurons pattern brain-wide developmental activity through neuropeptide signaling.

The paper identifies four neuropeptide-expressing neurons that regulate brain-wide developmental activity through SIFa signaling in Drosophila.

Learning and Increased Effort Affect Lipid Gene Expression in the Mushroom Bodies of Bombus terrestris; A Possible Model for Flower Handling?

This study examines how instrumental learning and increased effort affect lipid gene expression in bumblebee mushroom bodies, suggesting a link to flower-handling behavior.

Sensory adaptation modulates coding and perceptual quality of odor mixtures

This study investigates how sensory adaptation in honeybees affects odor mixture coding and perceptual quality, showing altered activation patterns and improved detection of non-adapted stimuli.

Calreticulin is required for cuticle deposition and trabeculae formation inside butterfly wing scale cells

The paper shows that Calreticulin is essential for forming chitin pillars inside butterfly wing scale cells and affects scale morphology and pigmentation.

Executioner caspase is proximal to Fasciclin 3 which facilitates non-lethal activation in Drosophila olfactory receptor neurons

The paper identifies Fas3G as a protein that facilitates non-lethal caspase activation in Drosophila olfactory receptor neurons by sequestering Drice near the plasma membrane.

Morphology and ultrastructure of external sense organsof Drosophila larvae

This paper describes the morphology and ultrastructure of external sense organs in Drosophila larvae using 3D electron microscopy, identifying three main types of sensilla and their spatial organization.

Motoneurons can count: A cell intrinsic spike number memory compensates for deviations from rate coding

The paper shows that motoneurons compensate for extra spikes by delaying subsequent spikes, maintaining rate coding fidelity during flight behavior.

Larvaworld : A behavioral simulation and analysis platform for Drosophila larva

Larvaworld is a virtual laboratory platform for Drosophila larvae that integrates agent-based modeling with neural control and analysis of simulated and experimental data.

Targeted single cell expression profiling identifies integrators of sleep and metabolic state

The paper identifies genes regulating sleep-metabolism interactions in Drosophila LHLK neurons using single-cell sequencing and functional validation.

Neural substrates of cold nociception in Drosophila larva.

This study identifies neural circuits in Drosophila larvae that process cold nociception, showing their role in generating cold-evoked behaviors and calcium responses.

Antennal sensilla diversity in diurnal and nocturnal fireflies (Coleoptera, Lampyridae)

This study examines antennal sensilla diversity in diurnal and nocturnal fireflies, finding that chemoreceptor counts and densities differ between sexes and activity patterns, while mechanoreceptors are conserved.

Ethanol alters mechanosensory habituation in C. elegans by way of the BK potassium channel through a novel mechanism

This study shows ethanol modulates habituation in C. elegans via the BK channel SLO-1 through a novel mechanism, altering response plasticity without general facilitation or inhibition.

Cross-species comparative connectomics reveals the evolution of an olfactory circuit

This study uses cross-species connectomics to show that olfactory circuits have conserved core elements and species-specific rewiring linked to ecological differences.