Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research

This study uses optogenetics to induce appetitive and aversive taste memories in Drosophila by pairing gustatory stimuli with neuronal activation.

The paper identifies neurons in Drosophila that encode rotational velocity using motor and visual signals, updating the fly's neural compass through a mechanism that prioritizes motor information when signals are congruent.

This study identifies synaptic plasticity mechanisms in Drosophila that incorporate reward expectations to drive operant matching behavior.

The paper investigates the role of the APL neuron in larval Drosophila, finding that optogenetic activation can induce a rewarding effect through dopaminergic pathways.

This study shows that Beadex is required for neuromuscular junction growth and sensorimotor activities in Drosophila, with genetic interactions indicating its role downstream of Highwire.

This study identifies neurons in monarch butterflies that encode goal direction during navigation, similar to goal neurons in the mammalian brain.

This study shows that olfactory learning modulates second-order olfactory neurons in Drosophila, affecting innate odor-guided behavior through bidirectional plasticity.

The paper identifies a neuronal circuit in Drosophila that transforms learned olfactory valences into wind-oriented movement by integrating inputs from memory compartments.

The paper investigates how Drosophila males adapt their sensory circuits to recognize and respond to pheromones, revealing a modular circuit architecture that enables the evolution of courtship strategies.

The paper shows that expanded sensory neuron populations in Drosophila enhance odor tracking without increasing projection neuron sensitivity.

This study shows that Drosophila can suppress and reverse optomotor turning in response to specific visual stimuli, indicating complex dynamics beyond simple reflexes.

This study identifies CG11000 as an astrocyte-enriched gene in Drosophila, showing its role in development, locomotion, and lifespan through single-cell RNA sequencing and functional assays.

This study identifies DH31-positive clock neurons in the DN1p cluster that regulate memory performance through both direct and indirect signaling mechanisms.

The paper functionally characterizes insect IRs by expressing them in transgenic Drosophila neurons, revealing their ligand specificity and potential as a tool for studying chemosensory receptors.

This study shows that ancestral high-sugar diet exposure in Drosophila leads to transgenerational changes in sweet sensitivity and feeding behavior through H3K27me3 reprogramming.

The paper uses SCAPE microscopy to analyze neural activity in Drosophila brains during different behaviors, revealing both behavior-related and residual high-dimensional activity patterns.

This paper develops a method to activate specific neurons in the mammalian brain using peripheral administration of ligand precursors, demonstrating its effectiveness in inducing neurotransmitter release and behavioral responses.

The paper shows that blocking programmed cell death in C. elegans leads to extra neurons that alter specific behaviors like reversal frequency and duration.

The paper identifies genetic variants in gap-2 that modify daf-7 expression and influence exploratory foraging behavior in C. elegans.

The paper identifies neural activity patterns in Drosophila that predict future turning directions before movement, suggesting internal motor planning.

This study creates a cell atlas of the larval Aedes aegypti ventral nerve cord using scRNA-seq, identifying over 35 cell types and linking larval and adult VNC composition.

The paper shows how a single neuron in C. elegans integrates opposing spatial cues to guide decision-making during avoidance behavior.

The paper develops new GAL4 drivers for Drosophila Mushroom Body Output Neurons (MBONs), enabling optogenetic studies of their roles in behavior and learning.

The paper identifies two opposing Drosophila ellipsoid body neurons, R3m and R3d, that promote and suppress sleep through distinct effects on sleep duration and architecture.

This study shows that forcing FruM expression in D. virilis females leads to male-typical behaviors but preserves female song and egg-laying, unlike D. melanogaster.

This study shows that mushroom body output neurons in cockroaches encode behavioral decisions rather than stimulus valence during feeding behavior.

This study shows that mitochondrial calcium entry via MCU-1 in C. elegans sensory neurons modulates odor-mediated learning and behavior by regulating neuropeptide secretion.

This study tests cognitive abilities in larval Drosophila using three complex tasks and finds evidence for conditioned inhibition but not sensory preconditioning or second-order conditioning.

The paper develops a neurogenetic toolkit to study olfaction in Anopheles gambiae by targeting specific olfactory sensory neuron subsets and analyzing their responses to human-related odorants.

The paper shows that the C. elegans neuron RIM both promotes and suppresses locomotion behavior to fine tune motor output through dual neurotransmission mechanisms.