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Title: 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 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.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2014217
PAR ID:
10223019
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
eLife
Volume:
9
ISSN:
2050-084X
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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