Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research

A molecular and cellular mechanism for bitter taste in the mosquito Aedes aegypti

This study identifies a bitter taste receptor in mosquitoes that influences feeding behavior differently during nectar and blood-feeding.

A robot model of compass cue calibration in the insect brain

The paper develops a robot model of the insect brain's compass cue calibration and tests it in a behavioral assay, revealing biases linked to input conflicts.

Gut-derived serine protease reduces sleep but extends lifespan

This study identifies a gut-derived serine protease that reduces sleep but extends lifespan in Drosophila by increasing peripheral ROS, suggesting a link between sleep reduction and stress adaptation.

The Metabolome of Drosophila Reveals Exercise-Induced Stress and Anti-Inflammatory Response

This study uses metabolomics to show that different exercise devices in Drosophila elicit distinct metabolic responses, with sex and genotype interactions affecting post-exercise metabolite profiles.

Uncovering Sex Differences in the Drosophila Ventral Nerve Cord Through Connectome Alignment

The paper automatically aligns Drosophila connectomes to classify neurons and identify sex-specific and sexually dimorphic cell types in the ventral nerve cord.

Identification and characterization of iPTH and two parathyroid hormone receptors-like (PTHR1 and PTHR2) in the tick Ixodes ricinus

This study identifies and characterizes iPTH and its receptors PTHR1 and PTHR2 in the tick Ixodes ricinus, showing their role in feeding, development, and ecdysis.

Intracellular amino acid scarcity sensing tunes protein hunger

The paper identifies Lsp2 as a regulator of protein intake in Drosophila by showing it modulates protein appetite through Mip+ peptidergic neurons in response to amino acid deprivation.

Long-term memory performance optimization via Neural network-based curve fitting in Drosophila

This study uses AI to optimize long-term memory in fruit flies, showing operant conditioning can be enhanced to outperform classical conditioning with AI-guided training.

Evolution and integration of a novel cell type in the housefly Love Spot

The paper investigates the evolution of a novel photoreceptor cell type in houseflies, showing how transcription factors drive its development and connectivity.

An extraglomerular relay circuit for multimodal integration within the Drosophila antennal lobe

The paper identifies a small cluster of interneurons in Drosophila that mediate multimodal sensory integration within the antennal lobe by relaying class-specific input.

Organizational principles governing synapse types in a whole-brain connectome

The paper maps synapse types across the Drosophila brain connectome, revealing structured patterns of mixed polarity and reciprocal connectivity.

Reduced dopaminergic reinforcement, not learning capacity, limits operant learning in aging Drosophila

This study shows that aging in Drosophila impairs dopaminergic reinforcement rather than learning capacity, with specific subtype vulnerabilities in dopaminergic neurons.

A recombinant dilp2GS-rpr donor line for adult-inducible IPC ablation across Drosophila genetic backgrounds

This paper develops a Drosophila donor line for inducible IPC ablation, validated through metabolic assays showing glucose phenotype dependence on genetic background.

Strong negative reinforcement interferes with visual learning in a solitary pollinator

This study shows that negative reinforcement with quinine impairs visual learning in solitary pollinators, unlike eusocial insects, by suppressing exploration and interfering with sucrose perception.

An aorta to insulin producing cell sensor for internal state in Drosophila

The paper identifies and characterizes an aorta sensory organ in Drosophila that connects internal hemolymph state to central systems regulating feeding behavior and memory.

Buzzed but not elated? Effect of ethanol on cognitive judgement bias in honeybees

This study tests if low-dose ethanol affects cognitive judgment bias in honeybees, finding no detectable impact on decision-making or locomotion.

Embryonic dopaminergic neuron activity sustains lifelong locomotion in Drosophila

The paper shows embryonic dopamine neurons in Drosophila are essential for lifelong locomotion, maintaining function through structural remodeling and transcription factor expression.

Identification of srh-30 as a 2-nonanone receptor in C. elegans

The paper identifies srh-30 as a receptor for 2-nonanone in C. elegans using single-cell expression data and genetic validation.

The Drosophila IR20a Integrates L-arginine and Salt Signals via Distinct Subunit Assemblies

This study identifies IR20a as a multimodal receptor in Drosophila that detects arginine and low NaCl salt through distinct subunit assemblies, enhancing feeding behavior.

Acute hypercapnic stress modulates innate and learned defensive behavior

This study shows that acute hypercapnic stress modulates defensive behaviors in Drosophila through tracheal dendrite neurons, affecting nociception and aversive memory.

Evolutionary Recoding of Olfactory Sensory Neurons

The paper studies how duplicated odorant receptor genes in Drosophila gain new expression in olfactory sensory neurons, showing evolutionary recoding without new neuron lineages.

Starvation modulates associative short-term memory of Drosophila in a task-dependent manner

This study examines how starvation affects associative short-term memory in Drosophila across various learning tasks, finding task-dependent effects that challenge the adaptive specificity hypothesis.

Female acoustic signaling of sexual immaturity depresses male courtship in Drosophila

The paper shows that immature Drosophila females use wing flicks in response to male courtship, which signals sexual immaturity and reduces male mating attempts.

Metabolism fine tuning and cardiokines secretion represent adaptative responses of the heart to High Fat and High Sugar Diets in flies

The paper identifies genes and secreted proteins modulated by High Fat and High Sugar diets in Drosophila hearts, revealing adaptive responses to nutritional stress.

Multi-timescale learning signals in Drosophila dopaminergic neurons

This study shows Drosophila dopaminergic neurons encode prediction errors, expected timing, and learning stabilization across multiple timescales during aversive conditioning.

Deconstructing a behavioral state: parallel neural integrators control distinct features of an aversive behavioral state in C. elegans

The paper identifies parallel neural integrators in C. elegans that control distinct features of an aversive behavioral state by integrating sensory stimuli over different timescales.

GIGEM (Group Isolation Gauge Effect Metrics), A Software Suite for Analyzing Social Isolation-Induced Sleep Loss and Multi-Batch Experiments in Drosophila

The paper introduces GIGEM, a software suite for analyzing Drosophila sleep in multi-batch experiments, showing chronic social isolation causes significant sleep loss across most SIP lines.

Natural genetic variation spans all predicted Rh5/Rh6 expression phenotypes in Drosophila R8 photoreceptors

A comprehensive mechanosensory connectome reveals a somatotopically organized neural circuit architecture controlling stimulus-aimed grooming of the Drosophila head

The paper maps a somatotopically organized mechanosensory connectome in Drosophila, revealing how neural circuits control location-specific grooming behaviors.

Distributed control circuits across a brain-and-cord connectome

The paper presents the first densely reconstructed adult fruit fly connectome integrating the brain and ventral nerve cord, revealing distributed control circuits involving local and long-range neural connections.