Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research

Longitudinal analysis of visuomotor orientation after optic lobe lesions reveals brain plasticity in Drosophila

This study shows that Drosophila can recover visual orientation behavior after optic lobe lesions, suggesting brain plasticity mechanisms are involved.

Context makes the difference: Temporally Resolved Dopaminergic Teaching Signals Shape Associative Memory in Drosophila Larvae

The paper shows how specific dopaminergic neurons in Drosophila larvae modulate memory formation through temporally precise signaling during learning.

Promotion of Structured Motor Program Diversity Through Since-last-state Memory in Drosophila Larvae

The paper uses HSMM to analyze Drosophila larval locomotor activity, showing how memory of recent states promotes motor program diversity through adaptive competition between CPG modules.

decepentaplegic directs wiring of female-differentiated fruitless sex peptide response-inducing neurons

The paper identifies a role for Dpp/BMP signaling in specifying neuronal connectivity in Drosophila SPRINz neurons for post-mating behaviors through sexual differentiation.

Undoing of firing rate adaptation enables invariant population codes

The paper shows how neural adaptation in fly olfactory neurons is compensated through circuit-level mechanisms to maintain background-invariant population codes.

Molecular Basis of Behavioral Diversity in a Sibling Species Trio

This study compares gene expression across the nervous system of three Drosophila sibling species to identify molecular changes associated with behavioral differences.

Phosphatidylinositol 5-phosphate 4-kinase (PIP4K) regulates sugar homeostasis in Drosophila

This study shows that dPIP4K regulates sugar homeostasis in Drosophila larvae by affecting glucose uptake, trehalose levels, and starvation survival.

Assembly and Conformational Dynamics of Insect Odorant Receptors

This study investigates the assembly and conformational dynamics of insect odorant receptor complexes using high-speed atomic force microscopy and cryo-EM, revealing non-tetrameric oligomeric states and symmetry-broken configurations.

A behavioral architecture for realistic simulations of Drosophila larva locomotion and foraging

This paper introduces a hierarchical model architecture for simulating Drosophila larva locomotion and foraging behaviors, enabling comparisons between empirical and simulated data.

Olfactory receptor coexpression and co-option in the dengue mosquito

The paper analyzes the transcriptomes of dengue mosquito neurons to show that olfactory receptors are coexpressed within families but not across families, revealing evolutionary patterns in olfactory systems.

WAC loss alters food-associated behavior and physiological homeostasis with stage-associated cholinergic dysregulation in Caenorhabditis elegans

This study investigates the effects of wac deficiency in C. elegans on behavior, physiology, and cholinergic pathways, finding stage-specific transcriptional changes and functional interactions with cho-1.

A pathogen-associated odorant induces fear-like response regulated by an olfactory receptor STR-211 in Caenorhabditis elegans

The paper identifies 2-nonanone as a pathogen-associated odorant that induces a fear-like freezing response in C. elegans via the olfactory receptor STR-211.

Hoverfly responses to looming stimuli depend on elevation and speed

This study shows that hoverflies respond more strongly to looming stimuli approaching from below at intermediate speeds, matching the sensitivity of ventral descending neurons.

Failures that are not failures: unobserved sensory history predicts escape behavior

The paper shows that unobserved sensory history, specifically a light-to-dark transition, predicts escape behavior failures in locusts by inducing a grooming state that suppresses the jump escape response.

Multisensory pathogen detection drives rapid escape and shapes host-microbe interactions in Drosophila larvae

This study identifies a rapid escape behavior in Drosophila larvae triggered by metabolically active pathogens, revealing multisensory detection mechanisms and their dual role in defense and pathogen spread.

Odor tracking in flying Drosophila requires visual reafference and compass neurons

This study shows that E-PG neurons in Drosophila integrate visual reafference with olfactory signals to maintain heading during odor tracking in flight.

Dopaminergic Neurons Linking Threat Processing to Cardiac Modulation and Locomotor Responses

The paper identifies dopaminergic neurons that link threat processing to cardiac modulation and locomotor responses in Drosophila.

Gene loss propensity for metallocarboxypeptidase E in insects is shaped by structural versatility and broader expression of metallocarboxypeptidase D but not functional importance

The paper investigates why the cpe gene is repeatedly lost in insects while cpd/svr is retained, finding that CPD's structural versatility and broader expression enable compensation for CPE loss.

Optogenetic Control of Activity in Descending Tdc2+ Neurons Modulates Motor Program Bias in the Drosophila Larval Locomotor System

This study uses optogenetics and calcium imaging to show that tdc2+ neurons modulate motor program bias in Drosophila larvae by influencing fictive motor activity.

Arc capsid signaling between serotonergic and dopaminergic neurons sets sleep depth in Drosophila

This study shows that Arc-dependent capsid signaling between serotonergic and PAM neurons in Drosophila controls sleep depth by modulating arousal thresholds.

Recent social loss, not chronic isolation, reshapes sleep in Drosophila

This study shows that recent social loss, not chronic isolation, increases sleep in Drosophila using a new tracking system that avoids social-state transitions during testing.

Losses of TMC and CIB neurosensory genes in schizophoran flies at the PETM

The paper investigates the loss of TMC and CIB genes in schizophoran flies during the Paleogene, linking it to the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum.

Anatomical mapping and regulation of dopaminergic and octopaminergic neurons during temporal polyethism in the red harvester ant

The paper maps and analyzes dopaminergic and octopaminergic neurons in red harvester ants, finding their expression decreases with age and correlates with behavioral changes.

A multi-input optic glomerulus mediates opposing behavioral responses to visual objects

The paper shows that two similar neuron types in Drosophila mediate opposing behavioral responses to visual objects by chunking the visual field into zones.

Deep conservation of head direction circuits in bees, ants and flies

The paper identifies conserved head direction circuits in bees, ants, and flies, showing stability over 300 million years with evolvable synaptic differences.

Standardized Protocols for Global and Local Thermal Nociception in Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens; Diptera: Stratiomyidae) Larvae

The paper develops standardized thermal nociception protocols for black soldier fly larvae, finding higher thermal thresholds compared to vinegar flies.

cGMP signaling regulates context-dependent sensory valence in C. elegans

This study shows that cGMP signaling via EGL-4 in C. elegans BAG neurons determines context-dependent CO2 sensory valence based on satiety state and cultivation conditions.

Dopamine promotes motor programs underlying substrate tunneling in larval Drosophila

This study investigates how dopamine modulates motor programs in Drosophila larvae, showing it promotes forward locomotion and tunneling behavior through specific neural activity patterns.

Olfactory Loss Enhances Visual Learning in Drosophila through Structural and Functional Reorganisation

This study shows that losing olfaction in Drosophila enhances visual learning through structural and functional changes in neural circuits.

The 3D micro- and nanostructure of the apical extracellular matrix in Drosophila

This study maps the 3D structure of the Drosophila larval apical extracellular matrix using electron microscopy, revealing intricate ultrastructural features and their functional roles.