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

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...