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...