Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research

Singular Odorant Receptor Expression Orchestrated by Promoter Activation Specificity in Apis Mellifera Olfactory Sensory Neurons

This study investigates OR gene expression and regulation in honeybee olfactory sensory neurons using single-cell multi-omics, revealing promoter activation patterns and functional receptor production.

Statistical signature of subtle behavioural changes inlarge-scale behavioural assays

The paper introduces statistical methods to detect subtle behavioural changes in Drosophila larvae from large-scale behavioural assays.

Brain rewiring during developmental transitions: A Comparative Analysis of Larva and Adult Drosophila melanogaster

This study compares brain network rewiring in larval and adult Drosophila melanogaster, finding differences in degree distribution and core neuron composition.

A survival-critical role for Drosophila giant interneurons during predation

This study shows that Drosophila Giant Fibers (GFs) are critical for prey survival during predation by influencing action selection rather than just reaction time.

Divergent short-term plasticity creates parallel pathways for computation and behavior in an olfactory circuit

The paper shows how subcellular synaptic plasticity in Drosophila olfactory projection neurons creates two parallel pathways for encoding temporal odor contrast and prediction error, leading to distinct behavioral responses.

Dendrite intercalation between epidermal cells tunes nociceptor sensitivity to mechanical stimuli in Drosophila larvae

Morphology and synapse topography optimize linear encoding of synapse numbers in Drosophila looming responsive descending neurons.

The paper investigates how synaptic topography in Drosophila descending neurons affects linear encoding of synapse numbers using EM connectomics and multicompartment models.

Mechanosensory and command contributions to the Drosophila grooming sequence

The paper identifies a pair of cholinergic command neurons that initiate thoracic grooming in Drosophila and reveals inhibitory circuits that regulate grooming order.

Osiris gene family defines the cuticle nano-patterns of Drosophila

The paper identifies Osiris genes as key regulators of cuticle nanostructures in Drosophila, showing their expression in cuticle-secreting cells and their role in shaping specific nano-patterns.

Connectomic Analysis of Mitochondria in the Central Brain of Drosophila

The paper analyzes mitochondria in the Drosophila connectome, showing variations in size, location, and appearance across cell types and brain regions.

Super Bowl, an open platform for visual stimulation of insects

The paper introduces a projector-based device for stimulating the insect visual system under a microscope, validated through cellular and organismal experiments on Drosophila melanogaster.

Male cuticular pheromones stimulate removal of the mating plug and promote re-mating through pC1 neurons in Drosophila females

This study identifies male pheromones that shorten the ejaculate holding period in Drosophila females by activating pC1 neurons via cAMP, promoting re-mating.

Inhibitory control of locomotor statistics in walking Drosophila

This study investigates how inhibitory neural circuits regulate locomotor statistics in Drosophila, identifying specific neurons that control search behavior and movement parameters.

A new leaf sensing organ in a predatory insect group, the praying mantises (Mantodea)

The paper describes a new sensory organ in praying mantises that detects plant volatiles, supporting their leaf-planking life strategy.

Compressed sensing based approach identifies modular neural circuitry driving learned pathogen avoidance

The paper identifies modular neural circuits in C. elegans that drive learned pathogen avoidance using compressed sensing and optogenetic methods.

A tonically active master neuron continuously modulates mutually exclusive motor states at two timescales

This study identifies a master neuron in C. elegans that modulates forward and backward movement through tonic and phasic activity at different timescales.

The dorsal fan-shaped body is a neurochemically heterogeneous sleep-regulating center in Drosophila

This study identifies dFB neurons as sleep-regulating cells in Drosophila, showing they promote sleep and are neurochemically heterogeneous.

Drosophila HCN mediates gustatory homeostasis by preserving sensillar transepithelial potential in sweet environments

This study identifies HCN channels in Drosophila sweet-sensing gustatory receptor neurons that preserve sensillum potential during prolonged sweet stimulation, maintaining sensory homeostasis.

Cardiaca adipokinetic hormone and hedgehog signaling combine to generate intracellular waves of Ca++ in starved Drosophila melanogaster fat body

This study shows that AKH and Hedgehog signaling in Drosophila fat body generate intracellular Ca++ waves during fasting, integrating signals from the brain and midgut.

A Tunable and Druggable Mechanism to Delay Forgetting of Olfactory Memories in C. elegans

This study shows that cold temperatures and lithium salt delay forgetting of olfactory memories in C. elegans by modulating membrane properties and the diacylglycerol pathway in specific neurons.

Prominent involvement of acetylcholine in shaping stable olfactory representation across the Drosophila brain

This study investigates the role of acetylcholine in shaping stable olfactory representations across the Drosophila brain using advanced imaging techniques and network analysis.

Morphological and functional convergence of visual projections neurons from diverse neurogenic origins in Drosophila

The paper identifies the developmental origins of LCNs in Drosophila using single-cell RNA sequencing and shows they arise from four distinct brain regions with different neurogenesis modes.

Sex peptide receptor is not required for refractoriness to remating or induction of egg laying in Aedes aegypti

This study shows that the sex peptide receptor (SPR) is not required for post-mating behavioral changes in Aedes aegypti, suggesting alternative pathways mediate these responses.

Theoretical principles explain the structure of the insect head direction circuit

The paper shows that the sinusoidal encoding of head direction in insect circuits is optimal for noise resilience when paired with sinusoidal connectivity, supported by anatomical data and Hebbian plasticity.

An octopamine-specific GRAB sensor reveals a monoamine relay circuitry that boosts aversive learning

The paper develops a GRAB sensor to monitor octopamine release in Drosophila and reveals its role in aversive learning through a monoamine relay circuit.

A long-read draft assembly of the Chinese mantis (Mantodea: Mantidae: Tenodera sinensis) genome reveals patterns of ion channel gain and loss across Arthropoda

The paper presents a long-read genome assembly of the Chinese mantis and identifies nociceptive ion channels, revealing evolutionary patterns across arthropods.

Sensory integration of food availability and population density during the diapause exit decision involves insulin-like signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans

This study identifies how insulin-like peptide signaling in C. elegans ASJ neurons integrates sensory cues for dauer exit decision-making.

Cyclic nucleotide-induced bidirectional long-term synaptic plasticity in Drosophila mushroom body

The paper demonstrates that cAMP pathway activation induces LTD in Drosophila mushroom body synapses, contradicting the general role of cAMP in LTP and revealing antagonistic actions between cAMP and cGMP pathways.

Social state gates vision using three circuit mechanisms in Drosophila

The paper identifies three circuit mechanisms in Drosophila that adjust visual attention during aggressive states by amplifying responses to fly-sized visual objects.

Contradictory behavioral effects of neuronal perturbations on behavioral responses to linearly polarized light in freely walking Drosophila

The paper investigates how perturbing specific neurons in Drosophila affects alignment with linearly polarized light, finding contradictory effects on behavior.