Université de Fribourg

Dedicated photoreceptor pathways in Drosophila larvae mediate navigation by processing either spatial or temporal cues

Humberg, Tim-Henning ; Bruegger, Pascal ; Afonso, Bruno ; Zlatic, Marta ; Truman, James W. ; Gershow, Marc ; Samuel, Aravinthan ; Sprecher, Simon G.

In: Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, no. 1, p. 1260

To integrate changing environmental cues with high spatial and temporal resolution is critical for animals to orient themselves. Drosophila larvae show an effective motor program to navigate away from light sources. How the larval visual circuit processes light stimuli to control navigational decision remains unknown. The larval visual system is composed of two sensory input channels,...

Université de Fribourg

Sensory determinants of behavioral dynamics in Drosophila thermotaxis

Klein, Mason ; Afonso, Bruno ; Vonner, Ashley J. ; Hernandez-Nunez, Luis ; Berck, Matthew ; Tabone, Christopher J. ; Kane, Elizabeth A. ; Pieribone, Vincent A. ; Nitabach, Michael N. ; Cardona, Albert ; Zlatic, Marta ; Sprecher, Simon G. ; Gershow, Marc ; Garrity, Paul A. ; Samuel, Aravinthan D. T.

In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2014, vol. 112, no. 2, p. E220–E229

Complex animal behaviors are built from dynamical relationships between sensory inputs, neuronal activity, and motor outputs in patterns with strategic value. Connecting these patterns illuminates how nervous systems compute behavior. Here, we study Drosophila larva navigation up temperature gradients toward preferred temperatures (positive thermotaxis). By tracking the movements of animals...

Université de Fribourg

Sensorimotor structure of Drosophila larva phototaxis

Kane, Elizabeth A. ; Gershow, Marc ; Afonso, Bruno ; Larderet, Ivan ; Klein, Mason ; Carter, Ashley R. ; Bivort, Benjamin L. de ; Sprecher, Simon G. ; Samuel, Aravinthan D. T.

In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013, vol. 110, no. 40, p. E3868–E3877

The avoidance of light by fly larvae is a classic paradigm for sensorimotor behavior. Here, we use behavioral assays and video microscopy to quantify the sensorimotor structure of phototaxis using the Drosophila larva. Larval locomotion is composed of sequences of runs (periods of forward movement) that are interrupted by abrupt turns, during which the larva pauses and sweeps its head back and...