Object Tracking in Motion-blind Flies
Overview
Affiliations
Different visual features of an object, such as its position and direction of motion, are important elements for animal orientation, but the neural circuits extracting them are generally not well understood. We analyzed this problem in Drosophila, focusing on two well-studied behaviors known as optomotor response and fixation response. In the neural circuit controlling the optomotor response, columnar T4 and T5 cells are thought to be crucial. We found that blocking T4 and T5 cells resulted in a complete loss of the optomotor response. Nevertheless, these flies were still able to fixate a black bar, although at a reduced performance level. Further analysis revealed that flies in which T4 and T5 cells were blocked possess an intact position circuit that is implemented in parallel to the motion circuit; the optomotor response is exclusively controlled by the motion circuit, whereas the fixation response is supported by both the position and the motion circuit.
An open platform for visual stimulation of insects.
Prech S, Groschner L, Borst A PLoS One. 2024; 19(4):e0301999.
PMID: 38635686 PMC: 11025907. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301999.
Neural mechanisms to incorporate visual counterevidence in self-movement estimation.
Tanaka R, Zhou B, Agrochao M, Badwan B, Au B, Matos N Curr Biol. 2023; 33(22):4960-4979.e7.
PMID: 37918398 PMC: 10848174. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.10.011.
Long-timescale anti-directional rotation in optomotor behavior.
Mano O, Choi M, Tanaka R, Creamer M, Matos N, Shomar J Elife. 2023; 12.
PMID: 37751469 PMC: 10522332. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.86076.
A Visual Pathway into Central Complex for High-Frequency Motion-Defined Bars in .
Duan W, Zhang Y, Zhang X, Yang J, Shan H, Liu L J Neurosci. 2023; 43(26):4821-4836.
PMID: 37290936 PMC: 10312062. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0128-23.2023.
Visual processing in the fly, from photoreceptors to behavior.
Currier T, Pang M, Clandinin T Genetics. 2023; 224(2).
PMID: 37128740 PMC: 10213501. DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad064.