Encoding and control of orientation to airflow by a set of Drosophila fan-shaped body neurons
The insect central complex (CX) is thought to underlie goal-oriented navigation but its functional organization is not fully understood. We recorded from genetically-identified CX cell types in Drosophila and presented directional visual, olfactory, and airflow cues known to elicit orienting behavio...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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eLife Sciences Publications Ltd
2020-12-01
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| Series: | eLife |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://elifesciences.org/articles/61510 |
| _version_ | 1811180459148705792 |
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| author | Timothy A Currier Andrew MM Matheson Katherine I Nagel |
| author_facet | Timothy A Currier Andrew MM Matheson Katherine I Nagel |
| author_sort | Timothy A Currier |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The insect central complex (CX) is thought to underlie goal-oriented navigation but its functional organization is not fully understood. We recorded from genetically-identified CX cell types in Drosophila and presented directional visual, olfactory, and airflow cues known to elicit orienting behavior. We found that a group of neurons targeting the ventral fan-shaped body (ventral P-FNs) are robustly tuned for airflow direction. Ventral P-FNs did not generate a ‘map’ of airflow direction. Instead, cells in each hemisphere were tuned to 45° ipsilateral, forming a pair of orthogonal bases. Imaging experiments suggest that ventral P-FNs inherit their airflow tuning from neurons that provide input from the lateral accessory lobe (LAL) to the noduli (NO). Silencing ventral P-FNs prevented flies from selecting appropriate corrective turns following changes in airflow direction. Our results identify a group of CX neurons that robustly encode airflow direction and are required for proper orientation to this stimulus. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T09:03:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1a738fd7ae54457484b45f1c0215f215 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2050-084X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T09:03:31Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | eLife Sciences Publications Ltd |
| record_format | Article |
| series | eLife |
| spelling | doaj.art-1a738fd7ae54457484b45f1c0215f2152022-12-22T04:32:42ZengeLife Sciences Publications LtdeLife2050-084X2020-12-01910.7554/eLife.61510Encoding and control of orientation to airflow by a set of Drosophila fan-shaped body neuronsTimothy A Currier0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1092-5563Andrew MM Matheson1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9062-2521Katherine I Nagel2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6701-3901Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, United States; Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, United StatesNeuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, United StatesNeuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, United States; Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, United StatesThe insect central complex (CX) is thought to underlie goal-oriented navigation but its functional organization is not fully understood. We recorded from genetically-identified CX cell types in Drosophila and presented directional visual, olfactory, and airflow cues known to elicit orienting behavior. We found that a group of neurons targeting the ventral fan-shaped body (ventral P-FNs) are robustly tuned for airflow direction. Ventral P-FNs did not generate a ‘map’ of airflow direction. Instead, cells in each hemisphere were tuned to 45° ipsilateral, forming a pair of orthogonal bases. Imaging experiments suggest that ventral P-FNs inherit their airflow tuning from neurons that provide input from the lateral accessory lobe (LAL) to the noduli (NO). Silencing ventral P-FNs prevented flies from selecting appropriate corrective turns following changes in airflow direction. Our results identify a group of CX neurons that robustly encode airflow direction and are required for proper orientation to this stimulus.https://elifesciences.org/articles/61510navigationorientationcentral complexmulti-sensoryelectrophysiologyairflow |
| spellingShingle | Timothy A Currier Andrew MM Matheson Katherine I Nagel Encoding and control of orientation to airflow by a set of Drosophila fan-shaped body neurons eLife navigation orientation central complex multi-sensory electrophysiology airflow |
| title | Encoding and control of orientation to airflow by a set of Drosophila fan-shaped body neurons |
| title_full | Encoding and control of orientation to airflow by a set of Drosophila fan-shaped body neurons |
| title_fullStr | Encoding and control of orientation to airflow by a set of Drosophila fan-shaped body neurons |
| title_full_unstemmed | Encoding and control of orientation to airflow by a set of Drosophila fan-shaped body neurons |
| title_short | Encoding and control of orientation to airflow by a set of Drosophila fan-shaped body neurons |
| title_sort | encoding and control of orientation to airflow by a set of drosophila fan shaped body neurons |
| topic | navigation orientation central complex multi-sensory electrophysiology airflow |
| url | https://elifesciences.org/articles/61510 |
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