Université de Fribourg

Organization of the Drosophila larval visual circuit

Larderet, Ivan ; Fritsch, Pauline ; Gendre, Nanae ; Maier, Larisa ; Fetter, Rick D. ; Schneider-Mizell, Casey ; Truman, James ; Zlatic, Marta ; Cardona, Albert ; Sprecher, Simon

Visual systems transduce, process and transmit light-dependent environmental cues. Computation of visual features depends on the types of photoreceptor neurons (PR) present, the organization of the eye and the wiring of the underlying neural circuit. Here, we describe the circuit architecture of the visual system of Drosophila larvae by mapping the synaptic wiring diagram and...

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

The Drosophila larval visual system: High-resolution analysis of a simple visual neuropil

Sprecher, Simon G. ; Cardona, Albert ; Hartenstein, Volker

In: Developmental Biology, 2011, p. -

The task of the visual system is to translate light into neuronal encoded information. This translation of photons into neuronal signals is achieved by photoreceptor neurons (PRs), specialized sensory neurons, located in the eye. Upon perception of light the PRs will send a signal to target neurons, which represent a first station of visual processing. Increasing complexity of visual processing...