@article {47062, title = {Quantitative neuroanatomy for connectomics in Drosophila.}, journal = {eLife}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 Mar 18}, pages = {e12059}, abstract = {

Neuronal circuit mapping using electron microscopy demands laborious proofreading or reconciliation of multiple independent reconstructions. Here, we describe new methods to apply quantitative arbor and network context to iteratively proofread and reconstruct circuits and create anatomically enriched wiring diagrams. We measured the morphological underpinnings of connectivity in new and existing reconstructions of\ Drosophila\ sensorimotor (larva) and visual (adult) systems. Synaptic inputs were preferentially located on numerous small, microtubule-free {\textquoteright}twigs{\textquoteright} which branch off a single microtubule-containing {\textquoteright}backbone{\textquoteright}. Omission of individual twigs accounted for 96\% of errors. However, the synapses of highly connected neurons were distributed across multiple twigs. Thus, the robustness of a strong connection to detailed twig anatomy was associated with robustness to reconstruction error. By comparing iterative reconstruction to the consensus of multiple reconstructions, we show that our method overcomes the need for redundant effort through the discovery and application of relationships between cellular neuroanatomy and synaptic connectivity.

}, doi = {10.7554/eLife.12059}, author = {Schneider-Mizell, Casey M. and Gerhard, Stephan and Longair, Mark and Kazimiers, Tom and Li, Feng and Zwart, Maarten and Champion, Andrew and Midgley, Frank and Fetter, Richard D and Saalfeld, Stephan and Cardona, Albert} } @article {46557, title = {A multilevel multimodal circuit enhances action selection in Drosophila.}, journal = {Nature}, volume = {520}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Apr 20}, pages = {633-9}, abstract = {

Natural events present multiple types of sensory cues, each detected by a specialized sensory modality. Combining information from several modalities is essential for the selection of appropriate actions. Key to understanding multimodal computations is determining the structural patterns of multimodal convergence and how these patterns contribute to behaviour. Modalities could converge early, late or at multiple levels in the sensory processing hierarchy. Here we show that combining mechanosensory and nociceptive cues synergistically enhances the selection of the fastest mode of escape locomotion in Drosophila larvae. In an electron microscopy volume that spans the entire insect nervous system, we reconstructed the multisensory circuit supporting the synergy, spanning multiple levels of the sensory processing hierarchy. The wiring diagram revealed a complex multilevel multimodal convergence architecture. Using behavioural and physiological studies, we identified functionally connected circuit nodes that trigger the fastest locomotor mode, and others that facilitate it, and we provide evidence that multiple levels of multimodal integration contribute to escape mode selection. We propose that the multilevel multimodal convergence architecture may be a general feature of multisensory circuits enabling complex input{\textendash}output functions and selective tuning to ecologically relevant combinations of cues.

}, doi = {10.1038/nature14297}, author = {Ohyama, Tomoko and Schneider-Mizell, Casey M. and Fetter, Richard D. and Aleman, Javier Valdes and Franconville, Romain and Rivera-Alba, Marta and Mensh, Brett D. and Branson, Kristin M. and Simpson, Julie H. and Truman, James W. and Cardona, Albert and Zlatic, Marta} }