@article {70155, title = {Sexual dimorphism in the complete connectome of the Drosophila male central nervous system}, journal = {bioRxiv}, year = {2025}, month = {2025 Oct 09}, abstract = {

Sex differences in behaviour exist across the animal kingdom, typically under strong genetic regulation. In Drosophila, previous work has shown that fruitless and doublesex transcription factors identify neurons driving sexually dimorphic behaviour. However, the organisation of dimorphic neurons into functional circuits remains unclear.We now present the connectome of the entire Drosophila male central nervous system. This contains 166,691 neurons spanning the brain and ventral nerve cord, fully proofread and comprehensively annotated including fruitless and doublesex expression and 11,691 cell types. By comparison with a previous female brain connectome, we provide the first comprehensive description of the differences between male and female brains to synaptic resolution. Of 7,319 cross-matched cell types in the central brain, 114 are dimorphic with an additional 262 male- and 69 female-specific (totalling 4.8\% of neurons in males and 2.4\% in females).This resource enables analysis of full sensory-to-motor circuits underlying complex behaviours as well as the impact of dimorphic elements. Sex-specific and dimorphic neurons are concentrated in higher brain centres while the sensory and motor periphery are largely isomorphic. Within higher centres, male-specific connections are organised into hotspots defined by male-specific neurons or the presence of male-specific arbours on neurons that are otherwise similar between sexes. Numerous circuit switches reroute sensory information to form conserved, antagonistic circuits controlling opposing behaviours.

}, doi = {10.1101/2025.10.09.680999}, url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2025/10/09/2025.10.09.680999}, author = {Berg, Stuart and Beckett, Isabella R and Costa, Marta and Schlegel, Philipp and Januszewski, Micha{\l} and Marin, Elizabeth C and Nern, Aljoscha and Preibisch, Stephan and Qiu, Wei and Takemura, Shin-ya and Fragniere, Alexandra MC and Champion, Andrew S and Adjavon, Diane-Yayra and Cook, Michael and Gkantia, Marina and Hayworth, Kenneth J and Huang, Gary B and Katz, William T and K{\"a}mpf, Florian and Lu, Zhiyuan and Ordish, Christopher and Paterson, Tyler and St{\"u}rner, Tomke and Trautman, Eric T and Whittle, Catherine R and Burnett, Laura E and Hoeller, Judith and Li, Feng and Loesche, Frank and Morris, Billy J and Pietzsch, Tobias and Pleijzier, Markus W and Silva, Valeria and Yin, Yijie and Ali, Iris and Badalamente, Griffin and Bates, Alexander Shakeel and Bogovic, John and Brooks, Paul and Cachero, Sebastian and Canino, Brandon S and Chaisrisawatsuk, Bhumpanya and Clements, Jody and Crowe, Arthur and de Haan Vicente, In{\^e}s and Dempsey, Georgia and Don{\`a}, Erika and dos Santos, M{\'a}rcia and Dreher, Marisa and Dunne, Christopher R and Eichler, Katharina and Finley-May, Samantha and Flynn, Miriam A and Hameed, Imran and Hopkins, Gary Patrick and Hubbard, Philip M and Kiassat, Ladann and Kovalyak, Julie and Lauchie, Shirley A and Leonard, Meghan and Lohff, Alanna and Longden, Kit D and Maldonado, Charli A and Mitletton, Myrto and Moitra, Ilina and Moon, Sung Soo and Mooney, Caroline and Munnelly, Eva J and Okeoma, Nneoma and Olbris, Donald J and Pai, Anika and Patel, Birava and Phillips, Emily M and Plaza, Stephen M and Richards, Alana and Rivas Salinas, Jennifer and Roberts, Ruair{\'\i} Jv and Rogers, Edward M and Scott, Ashley L and Scuderi, Louis A and Seenivasan, Pavithraa and Serratosa Capdevila, Laia and Smith, Claire and Svirskas, Rob and Takemura, Satoko and Tastekin, Ibrahim and Thomson, Alexander and Umayam, Lowell and Walsh, John J and Whittome, Holly and Xu, C Shan and Yakal, Emily A and Yang, Tansy and Zhao, Arthur and George, Reed and Jain, Viren and Jayaraman, Vivek and Korff, Wyatt and Meissner, Geoffrey W and Romani, Sandro and Funke, Jan and Knecht, Christopher and Saalfeld, Stephan and Scheffer, Louis K and Waddell, Scott and Card, Gwyneth M and Ribeiro, Carlos and Reiser, Michael B and Hess, Harald F and Rubin, Gerald M and Jefferis, Gregory Sxe} } @article {69092, title = {Different spectral sensitivities of ON- and OFF-motion pathways enhance the detection of approaching color objects in Drosophila.}, journal = {Nature Communications}, volume = {14}, year = {2023}, month = {2023 Nov 24}, pages = {7693}, abstract = {

Color and motion are used by many species to identify salient objects. They are processed largely independently, but color contributes to motion processing in humans, for example, enabling moving colored objects to be detected when their luminance matches the background. Here, we demonstrate an unexpected, additional contribution of color to motion vision in Drosophila. We show that behavioral ON-motion responses are more sensitive to UV than for OFF-motion, and we identify cellular pathways connecting UV-sensitive R7 photoreceptors to ON and OFF-motion-sensitive T4 and T5 cells, using neurogenetics and calcium imaging. Remarkably, this contribution of color circuitry to motion vision enhances the detection of approaching UV discs, but not green discs with the same chromatic contrast, and we show how this could generalize for systems with ON- and OFF-motion pathways. Our results provide a computational and circuit basis for how color enhances motion vision to favor the detection of saliently colored objects.

}, keywords = {Animals, Drosophila, Humans, Motion Perception, Photoreceptor Cells, Vision, Ocular}, issn = {2041-1723}, doi = {10.1038/s41467-023-43566-8}, author = {Longden, Kit D and Rogers, Edward M and Nern, Aljoscha and Dionne, Heather and Reiser, Michael B} } @article {69111, title = {Different spectral sensitivities of ON- and OFF-motion pathways enhance the detection of approaching color objects in Drosophila.}, journal = {Nature Communications}, volume = {14}, year = {2023}, month = {2023 Nov 24}, pages = {7693}, abstract = {

Color and motion are used by many species to identify salient objects. They are processed largely independently, but color contributes to motion processing in humans, for example, enabling moving colored objects to be detected when their luminance matches the background. Here, we demonstrate an unexpected, additional contribution of color to motion vision in Drosophila. We show that behavioral ON-motion responses are more sensitive to UV than for OFF-motion, and we identify cellular pathways connecting UV-sensitive R7 photoreceptors to ON and OFF-motion-sensitive T4 and T5 cells, using neurogenetics and calcium imaging. Remarkably, this contribution of color circuitry to motion vision enhances the detection of approaching UV discs, but not green discs with the same chromatic contrast, and we show how this could generalize for systems with ON- and OFF-motion pathways. Our results provide a computational and circuit basis for how color enhances motion vision to favor the detection of saliently colored objects.

}, keywords = {Animals, Drosophila, Humans, Motion Perception, Photoreceptor Cells, Vision, Ocular}, issn = {2041-1723}, doi = {10.1038/s41467-023-43566-8}, author = {Longden, Kit D and Rogers, Edward M and Nern, Aljoscha and Dionne, Heather and Reiser, Michael B} } @article {67952, title = {A functionally ordered visual feature map in the Drosophila brain.}, journal = {Neuron}, volume = {110}, year = {2022}, month = {2022 May 18}, pages = {1700}, abstract = {

Topographic maps, the systematic spatial ordering of neurons by response tuning, are common across species. In Drosophila, the lobula columnar (LC) neuron types project from the optic lobe to the central brain, where each forms a glomerulus in a distinct position. However, the advantages of this glomerular arrangement are unclear. Here, we examine the functional and spatial relationships of 10 glomeruli using single-neuron calcium imaging. We discover novel detectors for objects smaller than the lens resolution (LC18) and for complex line motion (LC25). We find that glomeruli are spatially clustered by selectivity for looming versus drifting object motion and ordered by size tuning to form a topographic visual feature map. Furthermore, connectome analysis shows that downstream neurons integrate from sparse subsets of possible glomeruli combinations, which are biased for glomeruli encoding similar features. LC neurons are thus an explicit example of distinct feature detectors topographically organized to facilitate downstream circuit integration.

}, issn = {1097-4199}, doi = {10.1016/j.neuron.2022.02.013}, author = {Klapoetke, Nathan C and Nern, Aljoscha and Rogers, Edward M and Rubin, Gerald M and Reiser, Michael B and Card, Gwyneth M} } @article {68225, title = {Neuronal circuits integrating visual motion information in Drosophila melanogaster.}, journal = {Current Biology}, volume = {32}, year = {2022}, month = {2022 Aug 22}, pages = {3529-3544}, abstract = {

The detection of visual motion enables sophisticated animal navigation, and studies on flies have provided profound insights into the cellular and circuit bases of this neural computation. The fly{\textquoteright}s directionally selective T4 and T5 neurons encode ON and OFF motion, respectively. Their axons terminate in one of the four retinotopic layers in the lobula plate, where each layer encodes one of the four directions of motion. Although the input circuitry of the directionally selective neurons has been studied in detail, the synaptic connectivity of circuits integrating T4/T5 motion signals is largely unknown. Here, we report a 3D electron microscopy reconstruction, wherein we comprehensively identified T4/T5{\textquoteright}s synaptic partners in the lobula plate, revealing a diverse set of new cell types and attributing new connectivity patterns to the known cell types. Our reconstruction explains how the ON- and OFF-motion pathways converge. T4 and T5 cells that project to the same layer connect to common synaptic partners and comprise a core motif together with bilayer interneurons, detailing the circuit basis for computing motion opponency. We discovered pathways that likely encode new directions of motion by integrating vertical and horizontal motion signals from upstream T4/T5 neurons. Finally, we identify substantial projections into the lobula, extending the known motion pathways and suggesting that directionally selective signals shape feature detection there. The circuits we describe enrich the anatomical basis for experimental and computations analyses of motion vision and bring us closer to understanding complete sensory-motor pathways.

}, issn = {1879-0445}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2022.06.061}, author = {Shinomiya, Kazunori and Nern, Aljoscha and Meinertzhagen, Ian A and Plaza, Stephen M and Reiser, Michael B} } @article {67658, title = {An inexpensive, high-precision, modular spherical treadmill setup optimized for experiments.}, journal = {Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience}, volume = {15}, year = {2021}, month = {2021 Jul 16}, pages = {689573}, abstract = {

To pursue a more mechanistic understanding of the neural control of behavior, many neuroethologists study animal behavior in controlled laboratory environments. One popular approach is to measure the movements of restrained animals while presenting controlled sensory stimulation. This approach is especially powerful when applied to genetic model organisms, such as , where modern genetic tools enable unprecedented access to the nervous system for activity monitoring or targeted manipulation. While there is a long history of measuring the behavior of body- and head-fixed insects walking on an air-supported ball, the methods typically require complex setups with many custom components. Here we present a compact, simplified setup for these experiments that achieves high-performance at low cost. The simplified setup integrates existing hardware and software solutions with new component designs. We replaced expensive optomechanical and custom machined components with off-the-shelf and 3D-printed parts, and built the system around a low-cost camera that achieves 180 Hz imaging and an inexpensive tablet computer to present view-angle-corrected stimuli updated through a local network. We quantify the performance of the integrated system and characterize the visually guided behavior of flies in response to a range of visual stimuli. In this paper, we thoroughly document the improved system; the accompanying repository incorporates CAD files, parts lists, source code, and detailed instructions. We detail a complete ~$300 system, including a cold-anesthesia tethering stage, that is ideal for hands-on teaching laboratories. This represents a nearly 50-fold cost reduction as compared to a typical system used in research laboratories, yet is fully featured and yields excellent performance. We report the current state of this system, which started with a 1-day teaching lab for which we built seven parallel setups and continues toward a setup in our lab for larger-scale analysis of visual-motor behavior in flies. Because of the simplicity, compactness, and low cost of this system, we believe that high-performance measurements of tethered insect behavior should now be widely accessible and suitable for integration into many systems. This access enables broad opportunities for comparative work across labs, species, and behavioral paradigms.

}, issn = {1662-5153}, doi = {10.3389/fnbeh.2021.689573}, author = {Loesche, Frank and Reiser, Michael B} } @article {67773, title = {Non-preferred contrast responses in the Drosophila motion pathways reveal a receptive field structure that explains a common visual illusion.}, journal = {Current Biology}, volume = {31}, year = {2021}, month = {2021 Dec 06}, pages = {5286}, abstract = {

Diverse sensory systems, from audition to thermosensation, feature a separation of inputs into ON (increments) and OFF (decrements) signals. In the Drosophila visual system, separate ON and OFF pathways compute the direction of motion, yet anatomical and functional studies have identified some crosstalk between these channels. We used this well-studied circuit to ask whether the motion computation depends on ON-OFF pathway crosstalk. Using whole-cell electrophysiology, we recorded visual responses of T4 (ON) and T5 (OFF) cells, mapped their composite ON-OFF receptive fields, and found that they share a similar spatiotemporal structure. We fit a biophysical model to these receptive fields that accurately predicts directionally selective T4 and T5 responses to both ON and OFF moving stimuli. This model also provides a detailed mechanistic explanation for the directional preference inversion in response to the prominent reverse-phi illusion. Finally, we used the steering responses of tethered flying flies to validate the model{\textquoteright}s predicted effects of varying stimulus parameters on the behavioral turning inversion.

}, issn = {1879-0445}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2021.09.072}, author = {Gruntman, Eyal and Reimers, Pablo and Romani, Sandro and Reiser, Michael B} } @article {67843, title = {Synaptic targets of photoreceptors specialized to detect color and skylight polarization in .}, journal = {eLife}, volume = {10}, year = {2021}, month = {2021 Dec 16}, abstract = {

Color and polarization provide complementary information about the world and are detected by specialized photoreceptors. However, the downstream neural circuits that process these distinct modalities are incompletely understood in any animal. Using electron microscopy, we have systematically reconstructed the synaptic targets of the photoreceptors specialized to detect color and skylight polarization in Drosophila, and we have used light microscopy to confirm many of our findings. We identified known and novel downstream targets that are selective for different wavelengths or polarized light, and followed their projections to other areas in the optic lobes and the central brain. Our results revealed many synapses along the photoreceptor axons between brain regions, new pathways in the optic lobes, and spatially segregated projections to central brain regions. Strikingly, photoreceptors in the polarization-sensitive dorsal rim area target fewer cell types, and lack strong connections to the lobula, a neuropil involved in color processing. Our reconstruction identifies shared wiring and modality-specific specializations for color and polarization vision, and provides a comprehensive view of the first steps of the pathways processing color and polarized light inputs.

}, issn = {2050-084X}, doi = {10.7554/eLife.71858}, author = {Kind, Emil and Longden, Kit D and Nern, Aljoscha and Zhao, Arthur and Sancer, Gizem and Flynn, Miriam A and Laughland, Connor W and Gezahegn, Bruck and Ludwig, Henrique Df and Thomson, Alex G and Obrusnik, Tessa and Alarc{\'o}n, Paula G and Dionne, Heather and Bock, Davi D and Rubin, Gerald M and Reiser, Michael B and Wernet, Mathias F} } @article {65282, title = {A genetic, genomic, and computational resource for exploring neural circuit function.}, journal = {eLife}, volume = {9}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 Jan 15}, abstract = {

The anatomy of many neural circuits is being characterized with increasing resolution, but their molecular properties remain mostly unknown. Here, we characterize gene expression patterns in distinct neural cell types of the visual system using genetic lines to access individual cell types, the TAPIN-seq method to measure their transcriptomes, and a probabilistic method to interpret these measurements. We used these tools to build a resource of high-resolution transcriptomes for 100 driver lines covering 67 cell types, available at http://www.opticlobe.com. Combining these transcriptomes with recently reported connectomes helps characterize how information is transmitted and processed across a range of scales, from individual synapses to circuit pathways. We describe examples that include identifying neurotransmitters, including cases of apparent co-release, generating functional hypotheses based on receptor expression, as well as identifying strong commonalities between different cell types.

}, issn = {2050-084X}, doi = {10.7554/eLife.50901}, author = {Davis, Fred P and Nern, Aljoscha and Picard, Serge and Reiser, Michael B and Rubin, Gerald M and Eddy, Sean R and Henry, Gilbert L} } @article {65847, title = {Spatial readout of visual looming in the central brain of Drosophila.}, journal = {eLife}, volume = {9}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 Nov 18}, abstract = {

Visual systems can exploit spatial correlations in the visual scene by using retinotopy. However, retinotopy is often lost, such as when visual pathways are integrated with other sensory modalities. How is spatial information processed outside of strictly visual brain areas? Here, we focused on visual looming responsive LC6 cells in , a population whose dendrites collectively cover the visual field, but whose axons form a single glomerulus-a structure without obvious retinotopic organization-in the central brain. We identified multiple cell types downstream of LC6 in the glomerulus and found that they more strongly respond to looming in different portions of the visual field, unexpectedly preserving spatial information. Through EM reconstruction of all LC6 synaptic inputs to the glomerulus, we found that LC6 and downstream cell types form circuits within the glomerulus that enable spatial readout of visual features and contralateral suppression-mechanisms that transform visual information for behavioral control.

}, issn = {2050-084X}, doi = {10.7554/eLife.57685}, author = {Morimoto, Mai M and Nern, Aljoscha and Zhao, Arthur and Rogers, Edward M and Wong, Allan and Isaacson, Mathew D and Bock, Davi and Rubin, Gerald M and Reiser, Michael B} } @article {65246, title = {The computation of directional selectivity in the OFF motion pathway.}, journal = {eLife}, volume = {8}, year = {2019}, month = {2019 Dec 11}, abstract = {

In flies, the direction of moving ON and OFF features is computed separately. T4 (ON) and T5 (OFF) are the first neurons in their respective pathways to extract a directionally selective response from their non-selective inputs. Our recent study of T4 found that the integration of offset depolarizing and hyperpolarizing inputs is critical for the generation of directional selectivity. However, T5s lack small-field inhibitory inputs, suggesting they may use a different mechanism. Here we used whole-cell recordings of T5 neurons and found a similar receptive field structure: fast depolarization and persistent, spatially offset hyperpolarization. By assaying pairwise interactions of local stimulation across the receptive field, we found no amplifying responses, only suppressive responses to the non-preferred motion direction. We then evaluated passive, biophysical models and found that a model using direct inhibition, but not the removal of excitation, can accurately predict T5 responses to a range of moving stimuli.

}, issn = {2050-084X}, doi = {10.7554/eLife.50706}, author = {Gruntman, Eyal and Romani, Sandro and Reiser, Michael B} } @article {49290, title = {A connectome based hexagonal lattice convolutional network model of the Drosophila visual system.}, journal = {arXiv}, year = {2018}, month = {2018 Jun 12}, pages = {1806.04793 }, abstract = {

What can we learn from a connectome? We constructed a simplified model of the first two stages of the fly visual system, the lamina and medulla. The resulting hexagonal lattice convolutional network was trained using backpropagation through time to perform object tracking in natural scene videos. Networks initialized with weights from connectome reconstructions automatically discovered well-known orientation and direction selectivity properties in T4 neurons and their inputs, while networks initialized at random did not. Our work is the first demonstration, that knowledge of the connectome can enable in silico predictions of the functional properties of individual neurons in a circuit, leading to an understanding of circuit function from structure alone.

}, url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/1806.04793}, author = {Tschopp, Fabian D and Reiser, Michael B and Turaga, Srinivas C} } @article {48998, title = {Simple integration of fast excitation and offset, delayed inhibition computes directional selectivity in Drosophila.}, journal = {Nature Neuroscience}, volume = {21}, year = {2018}, month = {2018 Jan 08}, pages = {250-7}, abstract = {

A neuron that extracts directionally selective motion information from upstream signals lacking this selectivity must compare visual responses from spatially offset inputs. Distinguishing among prevailing algorithmic models for this computation requires measuring fast neuronal activity and inhibition. In the Drosophila melanogaster visual system, a fourth-order neuron-T4-is the first cell type in the ON pathway to exhibit directionally selective signals. Here we use in vivo whole-cell recordings of T4 to show that directional selectivity originates from simple integration of spatially offset fast excitatory and slow inhibitory inputs, resulting in a suppression of responses to the nonpreferred motion direction. We constructed a passive, conductance-based model of a T4 cell that accurately predicts the neuron{\textquoteright}s response to moving stimuli. These results connect the known circuit anatomy of the motion pathway to the algorithmic mechanism by which the direction of motion is computed.

}, issn = {1546-1726}, doi = {10.1038/s41593-017-0046-4}, author = {Gruntman, Eyal and Romani, Sandro and Reiser, Michael B} } @article {48982, title = {Behavioral state modulates the ON visual motion pathway of Drosophila.}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {115}, year = {2017}, month = {2017 Dec 18}, pages = {E102-11}, abstract = {

The behavioral state of an animal can dynamically modulate visual processing. In flies, the behavioral state is known to alter the temporal tuning of neurons that carry visual motion information into the central brain. However, where this modulation occurs and how it tunes the properties of this neural circuit are not well understood. Here, we show that the behavioral state alters the baseline activity levels and the temporal tuning of the first directionally selective neuron in the ON motion pathway (T4) as well as its primary input neurons (Mi1, Tm3, Mi4, Mi9). These effects are especially prominent in the inhibitory neuron Mi4, and we show that central octopaminergic neurons provide input to Mi4 and increase its excitability. We further show that octopamine neurons are required for sustained behavioral responses to fast-moving, but not slow-moving, visual stimuli in walking flies. These results indicate that behavioral-state modulation acts directly on the inputs to the directionally selective neurons and supports efficient neural coding of motion stimuli.

}, issn = {1091-6490}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.1703090115}, author = {Strother, James A and Wu, Shiuan-Tze and Rogers, Edward M and Eliason, Jessica L M and Wong, Allan M and Nern, Aljoscha and Reiser, Michael B} } @article {48414, title = {The emergence of directional selectivity in the visual motion pathway of Drosophila.}, journal = {Neuron}, volume = {94}, year = {2017}, month = {2017 Apr 05}, pages = {168-182.e10}, abstract = {

The perception of visual motion is critical for animal navigation, and flies are a prominent model system for exploring this neural computation. In Drosophila, the T4 cells of the medulla are directionally selective and necessary for ON motion behavioral responses. To examine the emergence of directional selectivity, we developed genetic driver lines for the neuron types with the most synapses onto T4 cells. Using calcium imaging, we found that these neuron types are not directionally selective and that selectivity arises in the T4 dendrites. By silencing each input neuron type, we identified which neurons are necessary for T4 directional selectivity and ON motion behavioral responses. We then determined the sign of the connections between these neurons and T4 cells using neuronal photoactivation. Our results indicate a computational architecture for motion detection that is a hybrid of classic theoretical models.

}, issn = {1097-4199}, doi = {10.1016/j.neuron.2017.03.010}, author = {Strother, James A and Wu, Shiuan-Tze and Wong, Allan M and Nern, Aljoscha and Rogers, Edward M and Le, Jasmine Q and Rubin, Gerald M and Reiser, Michael B} } @article {48646, title = {Mapping the neural substrates of behavior.}, journal = {Cell}, volume = {170}, year = {2017}, month = {2017-07-13}, pages = {393-406}, abstract = {

Assigning behavioral functions to neural structures has long been a central goal in neuroscience and is a necessary first step toward a circuit-level understanding of how the brain generates behavior. Here, we map the neural substrates of locomotion and social behaviors for Drosophila melanogaster using automated machine-vision and machine-learning techniques. From videos of 400,000 flies, we quantified the behavioral effects of activating 2,204 genetically targeted populations of neurons. We combined a novel quantification of anatomy with our behavioral analysis to create brain-behavior correlation maps, which are shared as browsable web pages and interactive software. Based on these maps, we generated hypotheses of regions of the brain causally related to sensory processing, locomotor control, courtship, aggression, and sleep. Our maps directly specify genetic tools to target these regions, which we used to identify a small population of neurons with a role in the control of walking.

{\textbullet}We developed machine-vision methods to broadly and precisely quantify fly behavior{\textbullet}We measured effects of activating 2,204 genetically targeted neuronal populations{\textbullet}We created whole-brain maps of neural substrates of locomotor and social behaviors{\textbullet}We created resources for exploring our results and enabling further investigation

Machine-vision analyses of large behavior and neuroanatomy data reveal whole-brain maps of regions associated with numerous complex behaviors.

}, doi = {10.1016/j.cell.2017.06.032}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2017.06.032}, author = {Robie, Alice A and Hirokawa, Jonathan and Edwards, Austin W and Umayam, Lowell A and Lee, Allen and Phillips, Mary L and Card, Gwyneth M and Korff, Wyatt and Rubin, Gerald M and Simpson, Julie H and Reiser, Michael B and Branson, Kristin M} } @article {48372, title = {Sensorimotor neuroscience: motor precision meets vision.}, journal = {Current Biology : CB}, volume = {27}, year = {2017}, month = {2017 Apr 03}, pages = {R261-R263}, abstract = {

Visual motion sensing neurons in the fly also encode a range of behavior-related signals. These nonvisual inputs appear to be used to correct some of the challenges of visually guided locomotion.

}, issn = {1879-0445}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2017.02.047}, author = {Longden, Kit D and Huston, Stephen J and Reiser, Michael B} } @article {48934, title = {Ultra-selective looming detection from radial motion opponency.}, journal = {Nature}, volume = {551}, year = {2017}, month = {2017 Nov 08}, pages = {237-241}, abstract = {

Nervous systems combine lower-level sensory signals to detect higher-order stimulus features critical to survival, such as the visual looming motion created by an imminent collision or approaching predator. Looming-sensitive neurons have been identified in diverse animal species. Different large-scale visual features such as looming often share local cues, which means loom-detecting neurons face the challenge of rejecting confounding stimuli. Here we report the discovery of an ultra-selective looming detecting neuron, lobula plate/lobula columnar, type II (LPLC2) in Drosophila, and show how its selectivity is established by radial motion opponency. In the fly visual system, directionally selective small-field neurons called T4 and T5 form a spatial map in the lobula plate, where they each terminate in one of four retinotopic layers, such that each layer responds to motion in a different cardinal direction. Single-cell anatomical analysis reveals that each arm of the LPLC2 cross-shaped primary dendrites ramifies in one of these layers and extends along that layer{\textquoteright}s preferred motion direction. In vivo calcium imaging demonstrates that, as their shape predicts, individual LPLC2 neurons respond strongly to outward motion emanating from the centre of the neuron{\textquoteright}s receptive field. Each dendritic arm also receives local inhibitory inputs directionally selective for inward motion opposing the excitation. This radial motion opponency generates a balance of excitation and inhibition that makes LPLC2 non-responsive to related patterns of motion such as contraction, wide-field rotation or luminance change. As a population, LPLC2 neurons densely cover visual space and terminate onto the giant fibre descending neurons, which drive the jump muscle motor neuron to trigger an escape take off. Our findings provide a mechanistic description of the selective feature detection that flies use to discern and escape looming threats.

}, issn = {1476-4687}, doi = {10.1038/nature24626}, author = {Klapoetke, Nathan C and Nern, Aljoscha and Peek, Martin Y and Rogers, Edward M and Breads, Patrick and Rubin, Gerald M and Reiser, Michael B and Card, Gwyneth M} } @article {48136, title = {Visual projection neurons in the Drosophila lobula link feature detection to distinct behavioral programs.}, journal = {eLife}, volume = {5}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 Dec 28}, abstract = {

Visual projection neurons (VPNs) provide an anatomical connection between early visual processing and higher brain regions. Here we characterize lobula columnar (LC) cells, a class of Drosophila VPNs that project to distinct central brain structures called optic glomeruli. We anatomically describe 22 different LC types and show that, for several types, optogenetic activation in freely moving flies evokes specific behaviors. The activation phenotypes of two LC types closely resemble natural avoidance behaviors triggered by a visual loom. In vivo two-photon calcium imaging reveals that these LC types respond to looming stimuli, while another type does not, but instead responds to the motion of a small object. Activation of LC neurons on only one side of the brain can result in attractive or aversive turning behaviors depending on the cell type. Our results indicate that LC neurons convey information on the presence and location of visual features relevant for specific behaviors.

}, issn = {2050-084X}, doi = {10.7554/eLife.21022}, author = {Wu, Ming and Nern, Aljoscha and Williamson, W Ryan and Morimoto, Mai M and Reiser, Michael B and Card, Gwyneth M and Rubin, Gerald M} } @article {46479, title = {Neuroscience: hot on the trail of temperature processing.}, journal = {Nature}, volume = {519}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Mar 19}, pages = {296-7}, issn = {1476-4687}, doi = {10.1038/nature14209}, author = {Florence, T J and Reiser, Michael B} } @article {45175, title = {Direct observation of ON and OFF pathways in the Drosophila visual system.}, journal = {Current Biology}, volume = {24}, year = {2014}, month = {2014 May 5}, pages = {976-83}, abstract = {

Visual motion perception is critical to many animal behaviors, and flies have emerged as a powerful model system for exploring this fundamental neural computation. Although numerous studies have suggested that fly motion vision is governed by a simple neural circuit [1-3], the implementation of this circuit has remained mysterious for decades. Connectomics and neurogenetics have produced a surge in recent progress, and several studies have shown selectivity for light increments (ON) or decrements (OFF) in key elements associated with this circuit [4-7]. However, related studies have reached disparate conclusions about where this selectivity emerges and whether it plays a major role in motion vision [8-13]. To address these questions, we examined activity in the neuropil thought to be responsible for visual motion detection, the medulla, of Drosophila melanogaster in response to a range of visual stimuli using two-photon calcium imaging. We confirmed that the input neurons of the medulla, the LMCs, are not responsible for light-on and light-off selectivity. We then examined the pan-neural response of medulla neurons and found prominent selectivity for light-on and light-off in layers of the medulla associated with two anatomically derived pathways (L1/L2 associated) [14, 15]. We next examined the activity of prominent interneurons within each pathway (Mi1 and Tm1) and found that these neurons have corresponding selectivity for light-on or light-off. These results provide direct evidence that motion is computed in parallel light-on and light-off pathways, demonstrate that this selectivity emerges in neurons immediately downstream of the LMCs, and specify where crucial elements of motion computation occur.

}, issn = {1879-0445}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2014.03.017}, author = {Strother, James A and Nern, Aljoscha and Reiser, Michael B} } @article {45176, title = {Wide-field feedback neurons dynamically tune early visual processing.}, journal = {Neuron}, volume = {82}, year = {2014}, month = {2014 May 21}, pages = {887-95}, abstract = {

An important strategy for efficient neural coding is to match the range of cellular responses to the distribution of relevant input signals. However, the structure and relevance of sensory signals depend on behavioral state. Here, we show that behavior modifies neural activity at the earliest stages of fly vision. We describe a class of wide-field neurons that provide feedback to the most peripheral layer of the Drosophila visual system, the lamina. Using in vivo patch-clamp electrophysiology, we found that lamina wide-field neurons respond to low-frequency luminance fluctuations. Recordings in flying flies revealed that the gain and frequency tuning of wide-field neurons change during flight, and that these effects are mimicked by the neuromodulator octopamine. Genetically silencing wide-field neurons increased behavioral responses to slow-motion stimuli. Together, these findings identify a cell type that is gated by behavior to enhance neural coding by subtracting low-frequency signals from the inputs to motion detection circuits.

}, keywords = {Adrenergic alpha-Agonists, Anesthetics, Local, Animals, Animals, Genetically Modified, Brain, Choline O-Acetyltransferase, Drosophila, Drosophila Proteins, Feedback, Sensory, Flight, Animal, Green Fluorescent Proteins, Membrane Potentials, Motion Perception, Neurons, Octopamine, Photic Stimulation, Tetrodotoxin, Transcription Factors, Visual Pathways}, issn = {1097-4199}, doi = {10.1016/j.neuron.2014.04.023}, author = {Tuthill, John C and Nern, Aljoscha and Rubin, Gerald M and Reiser, Michael B} } @article {6091, title = {Contributions of the 12 neuron classes in the fly lamina to motion vision.}, journal = {Neuron}, volume = {79}, year = {2013}, month = {07/2013}, pages = {128-140}, abstract = {

Motion detection is a fundamental neural computation performed by many sensory systems. In the fly, local motion computation is thought to occur within the first two layers of the visual system, the lamina and medulla. We constructed specific genetic driver lines for each of the 12 neuron classes in the lamina. We then depolarized and hyperpolarized each neuron type and quantified fly behavioral responses to a diverse set of motion stimuli. We found that only a small number of lamina output neurons are essential for motion detection, while most neurons serve to sculpt and enhance these feedforward pathways. Two classes of feedback neurons (C2 and C3), and lamina output neurons (L2 and L4), are required for normal detection of directional motion stimuli. Our results reveal a prominent role for feedback and lateral interactions in motion processing and demonstrate that motion-dependent behaviors rely on contributions from nearly all lamina neuron classes.

}, doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2013.05.024}, author = {Tuthill, John C and Nern, Aljoscha and Stephen L. Holtz and Rubin, Gerald M and Reiser, Michael B} } @article {6102, title = {Visual motion speed determines a behavioral switch from forward flight to expansion avoidance in Drosophila.}, journal = {The Journal of Experimental Biology}, volume = {216}, year = {2013}, month = {2013 Feb 15}, pages = {719-32}, abstract = {

As an animal translates through the world, its eyes will experience a radiating pattern of optic flow in which there is a focus of expansion directly in front and a focus of contraction behind. For flying fruit flies, recent experiments indicate that flies actively steer away from patterns of expansion. Whereas such a reflex makes sense for avoiding obstacles, it presents a paradox of sorts because an insect could not navigate stably through a visual scene unless it tolerated flight towards a focus of expansion during episodes of forward translation. One possible solution to this paradox is that a fly{\textquoteright}s behavior might change such that it steers away from strong expansion, but actively steers towards weak expansion. In this study, we use a tethered flight arena to investigate the influence of stimulus strength on the magnitude and direction of turning responses to visual expansion in flies. These experiments indicate that the expansion-avoidance behavior is speed dependent. At slower speeds of expansion, flies exhibit an attraction to the focus of expansion, whereas the behavior transforms to expansion avoidance at higher speeds. Open-loop experiments indicate that this inversion of the expansion-avoidance response depends on whether or not the head is fixed to the thorax. The inversion of the expansion-avoidance response with stimulus strength has a clear manifestation under closed-loop conditions. Flies will actively orient towards a focus of expansion at low temporal frequency but steer away from it at high temporal frequency. The change in the response with temporal frequency does not require motion stimuli directly in front or behind the fly. Animals in which the stimulus was presented within 120 deg sectors on each side consistently steered towards expansion at low temporal frequency and steered towards contraction at high temporal frequency. A simple model based on an array of Hassenstein-Reichardt type elementary movement detectors suggests that the inversion of the expansion-avoidance reflex can explain the spatial distribution of straight flight segments and collision-avoidance saccades when flies fly freely within an open circular arena.

}, keywords = {Animal, Animals, Avoidance Learning, Behavior, Drosophila melanogaster, Female, Flight, Motion Perception, Orientation, Photic Stimulation, Time Factors, Visual Perception}, issn = {1477-9145}, doi = {10.1242/jeb.074732}, author = {Reiser, Michael B and Dickinson, Michael H} } @article {4840, title = {Real neuroscience in virtual worlds.}, journal = {Current Opinion in Neurobiology}, volume = {22}, year = {2012}, month = {2012 Feb}, pages = {3-10}, abstract = {

Virtual reality (VR) holds great promise as a tool to study the neural circuitry underlying animal behaviors. Here, we discuss the advantages of VR and the experimental paradigms and technologies that enable closed loop behavioral experiments. We review recent results from VR research in genetic model organisms where the potential combination of rich behaviors, genetic tools and cutting edge neural recording techniques are leading to breakthroughs in our understanding of the neural basis of behavior. We also discuss several key issues to consider when performing VR experiments and provide an outlook for the future of this exciting experimental toolkit.

}, issn = {1873-6882}, doi = {10.1016/j.conb.2011.10.015}, author = {Dombeck, Daniel A and Reiser, Michael B} } @article {3867, title = {Neural correlates of illusory motion perception in Drosophila.}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {108}, year = {2011}, month = {2011 Jun 7}, pages = {9685-90}, abstract = {

When the contrast of an image flickers as it moves, humans perceive an illusory reversal in the direction of motion. This classic illusion, called reverse-phi motion, has been well-characterized using psychophysics, and several models have been proposed to account for its effects. Here, we show that Drosophila melanogaster also respond behaviorally to the reverse-phi illusion and that the illusion is present in dendritic calcium signals of motion-sensitive neurons in the fly lobula plate. These results closely match the predictions of the predominant model of fly motion detection. However, high flicker rates cause an inversion of the reverse-phi behavioral response that is also present in calcium signals of lobula plate tangential cell dendrites but not predicted by the model. The fly{\textquoteright}s behavioral and neural responses to the reverse-phi illusion reveal unexpected interactions between motion and flicker signals in the fly visual system and suggest that a similar correlation-based mechanism underlies visual motion detection across the animal kingdom.

}, keywords = {Algorithms, Animals, Dendrites, Drosophila melanogaster, Female, Humans, Male, Models, Motion, Motion Perception, Neural Pathways, Neurological, Neurons, Time Factors}, issn = {1091-6490}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.1100062108}, author = {Tuthill, John C and Chiappe, M Eugenia and Reiser, Michael B} } @article {3837, title = {Visual place learning in Drosophila melanogaster.}, journal = {Nature}, volume = {474}, year = {2011}, month = {2011 Jun 9}, pages = {204-7}, abstract = {

The ability of insects to learn and navigate to specific locations in the environment has fascinated naturalists for decades. The impressive navigational abilities of ants, bees, wasps and other insects demonstrate that insects are capable of visual place learning, but little is known about the underlying neural circuits that mediate these behaviours. Drosophila melanogaster (common fruit fly) is a powerful model organism for dissecting the neural circuitry underlying complex behaviours, from sensory perception to learning and memory. Drosophila can identify and remember visual features such as size, colour and contour orientation. However, the extent to which they use vision to recall specific locations remains unclear. Here we describe a visual place learning platform and demonstrate that Drosophila are capable of forming and retaining visual place memories to guide selective navigation. By targeted genetic silencing of small subsets of cells in the Drosophila brain, we show that neurons in the ellipsoid body, but not in the mushroom bodies, are necessary for visual place learning. Together, these studies reveal distinct neuroanatomical substrates for spatial versus non-spatial learning, and establish Drosophila as a powerful model for the study of spatial memories.

}, keywords = {Animal, Animals, Brain, Conditioning (Psychology), Cues, Drosophila melanogaster, Female, Glass, Learning, Locomotion, Memory, Models, Mushroom Bodies, Neurological, Odors, Orientation, Silicon Dioxide, Temperature, Time Factors, Visual Perception}, issn = {1476-4687}, doi = {10.1038/nature10131}, author = {Ofstad, Tyler A and Zuker, Charles S and Reiser, Michael B} } @article {2353, title = {Drosophila fly straight by fixating objects in the face of expanding optic flow.}, journal = {The Journal of Experimental Biology}, volume = {213}, year = {2010}, month = {2010 May}, pages = {1771-81}, abstract = {

Flies, like all animals that depend on vision to navigate through the world, must integrate the optic flow created by self-motion with the images generated by prominent features in their environment. Although much is known about the responses of Drosophila melanogaster to rotating flow fields, their reactions to the more complex patterns of motion that occur as they translate through the world are not well understood. In the present study we explore the interactions between two visual reflexes in Drosophila: object fixation and expansion avoidance. As a fly flies forward, it encounters an expanding visual flow field. However, recent results have demonstrated that Drosophila strongly turn away from patterns of expansion. Given the strength of this reflex, it is difficult to explain how flies make forward progress through a visual landscape. This paradox is partially resolved by the finding reported here that when undergoing flight directed towards a conspicuous object, Drosophila will tolerate a level of expansion that would otherwise induce avoidance. This navigation strategy allows flies to fly straight when orienting towards prominent visual features.

}, keywords = {Animal, Animals, Drosophila melanogaster, Fixation, Flight, Ocular, Photic Stimulation, Visual Pathways}, issn = {1477-9145}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2010.06.072}, author = {Reiser, Michael B and Dickinson, Michael H} } @article {1645, title = {Two-photon calcium imaging from head-fixed Drosophila during optomotor walking behavior.}, journal = {Nature Methods}, volume = {7}, year = {2010}, month = {2010 Jul}, pages = {535-40}, abstract = {

Drosophila melanogaster is a model organism rich in genetic tools to manipulate and identify neural circuits involved in specific behaviors. Here we present a technique for two-photon calcium imaging in the central brain of head-fixed Drosophila walking on an air-supported ball. The ball{\textquoteright}s motion is tracked at high resolution and can be treated as a proxy for the fly{\textquoteright}s own movements. We used the genetically encoded calcium sensor, GCaMP3.0, to record from important elements of the motion-processing pathway, the horizontal-system lobula plate tangential cells (LPTCs) in the fly optic lobe. We presented motion stimuli to the tethered fly and found that calcium transients in horizontal-system neurons correlated with robust optomotor behavior during walking. Our technique allows both behavior and physiology in identified neurons to be monitored in a genetic model organism with an extensive repertoire of walking behaviors.

}, keywords = {Animals, Brain, Calcium, Computer-Assisted, Drosophila melanogaster, Fluorescence, Green Fluorescent Proteins, Image Processing, Motion, Motor Activity, Neurons, Signal Transduction, Walking}, issn = {1548-7105}, doi = {10.1038/nmeth.1468}, author = {Seelig, Johannes D and Chiappe, M Eugenia and Lott, Gus K and Dutta, Anirban and Osborne, Jason E and Reiser, Michael B and Jayaraman, Vivek} } @article {3759, title = {Walking modulates speed sensitivity in Drosophila motion vision.}, journal = {Current Biology}, volume = {20}, year = {2010}, month = {2010 Aug 24}, pages = {1470-5}, abstract = {

Changes in behavioral state modify neural activity in many systems. In some vertebrates such modulation has been observed and interpreted in the context of attention and sensorimotor coordinate transformations. Here we report state-dependent activity modulations during walking in a visual-motor pathway of Drosophila. We used two-photon imaging to monitor intracellular calcium activity in motion-sensitive lobula plate tangential cells (LPTCs) in head-fixed Drosophila walking on an air-supported ball. Cells of the horizontal system (HS){\textendash}a subgroup of LPTCs{\textendash}showed stronger calcium transients in response to visual motion when flies were walking rather than resting. The amplified responses were also correlated with walking speed. Moreover, HS neurons showed a relatively higher gain in response strength at higher temporal frequencies, and their optimum temporal frequency was shifted toward higher motion speeds. Walking-dependent modulation of HS neurons in the Drosophila visual system may constitute a mechanism to facilitate processing of higher image speeds in behavioral contexts where these speeds of visual motion are relevant for course stabilization.

}, keywords = {Animals, Calcium, Calcium Signaling, Drosophila, Motion Perception, Photic Stimulation, Walking}, issn = {1879-0445}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2010.06.072}, author = {Chiappe, M Eugenia and Seelig, Johannes D and Reiser, Michael B and Jayaraman, Vivek} } @article {2357, title = {A modular display system for insect behavioral neuroscience.}, journal = {Journal of Neuroscience Methods}, volume = {167}, year = {2008}, month = {2008 Jan 30}, pages = {127-39}, abstract = {

Flying insects exhibit stunning behavioral repertoires that are largely mediated by the visual control of flight. For this reason, presenting a controlled visual environment to tethered insects has been and continues to be a powerful tool for studying the sensory control of complex behaviors. To create an easily controlled, scalable, and customizable visual stimulus, we have designed a modular system, based on panels composed of an 8 x 8 array of individual LEDs, that may be connected together to {\textquoteright}tile{\textquoteright} an experimental environment with controllable displays. The panels have been designed to be extremely bright, with the added flexibility of individual-pixel brightness control, allowing experimentation over a broad range of behaviorally relevant conditions. Patterns to be displayed may be designed using custom software, downloaded to a controller board, and displayed on the individually addressed panels via a rapid communication interface. The panels are controlled by a microprocessor-based display controller which, for most experiments, will not require a computer in the loop, greatly reducing the experimental infrastructure. This technology allows an experimenter to build and program a visual arena with a customized geometry in a matter of hours. To demonstrate the utility of this system, we present results from experiments with tethered Drosophila melanogaster: (1) in a cylindrical arena composed of 44 panels, used to test the contrast dependence of object orientation behavior, and (2) above a 30-panel floor display, used to examine the effects of ground motion on orientation during flight.

}, keywords = {Animal, Animals, Behavior, Computer-Assisted Instruction, Drosophila, Flight, Imaging, Motion, Orientation, Photic Stimulation, Software, Three-Dimensional}, issn = {0165-0270}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2010.06.072}, author = {Reiser, Michael B and Dickinson, Michael H} } @article {2358, title = {Dynamic properties of large-field and small-field optomotor flight responses in Drosophila.}, journal = {Journal of Comparative Physiology. A, Neuroethology, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology}, volume = {193}, year = {2007}, month = {2007 Jul}, pages = {787-99}, abstract = {

Optomotor flight control in houseflies shows bandwidth fractionation such that steering responses to an oscillating large-field rotating panorama peak at low frequency, whereas responses to small-field objects peak at high frequency. In fruit flies, steady-state large-field translation generates steering responses that are three times larger than large-field rotation. Here, we examine the optomotor steering reactions to dynamically oscillating visual stimuli consisting of large-field rotation, large-field expansion, and small-field motion. The results show that, like in larger flies, large-field optomotor steering responses peak at low frequency, whereas small-field responses persist under high frequency conditions. However, in fruit flies large-field expansion elicits higher magnitude and tighter phase-locked optomotor responses than rotation throughout the frequency spectrum, which may suggest a further segregation within the large-field pathway. An analysis of wing beat frequency and amplitude reveals that mechanical power output during flight varies according to the spatial organization and motion dynamics of the visual scene. These results suggest that, like in larger flies, the optomotor control system is organized into parallel large-field and small-field pathways, and extends previous analyses to quantify expansion-sensitivity for steering reflexes and flight power output across the frequency spectrum.

}, keywords = {Analysis of Variance, Animal, Animals, Behavior, Biological Clocks, Drosophila, Flight, Nonlinear Dynamics, Photic Stimulation, Visual Pathways}, issn = {0340-7594}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2010.06.072}, author = {Duistermars, Brian J and Reiser, Michael B and Zhu, Yan and Frye, Mark A} } @article {2356, title = {The role of visual and mechanosensory cues in structuring forward flight in Drosophila melanogaster.}, journal = {The Journal of Experimental Biology}, volume = {210}, year = {2007}, month = {2007 Dec}, pages = {4092-103}, abstract = {

It has long been known that many flying insects use visual cues to orient with respect to the wind and to control their groundspeed in the face of varying wind conditions. Much less explored has been the role of mechanosensory cues in orienting insects relative to the ambient air. Here we show that Drosophila melanogaster, magnetically tethered so as to be able to rotate about their yaw axis, are able to detect and orient into a wind, as would be experienced during forward flight. Further, this behavior is velocity dependent and is likely subserved, at least in part, by the Johnston{\textquoteright}s organs, chordotonal organs in the antennae also involved in near-field sound detection. These wind-mediated responses may help to explain how flies are able to fly forward despite visual responses that might otherwise inhibit this behavior. Expanding visual stimuli, such as are encountered during forward flight, are the most potent aversive visual cues known for D. melanogaster flying in a tethered paradigm. Accordingly, tethered flies strongly orient towards a focus of contraction, a problematic situation for any animal attempting to fly forward. We show in this study that wind stimuli, transduced via mechanosensory means, can compensate for the aversion to visual expansion and thus may help to explain how these animals are indeed able to maintain forward flight.

}, keywords = {Animal, Animal Structures, Animals, Cellular, Cues, Drosophila melanogaster, Female, Flight, Magnetics, Mechanotransduction, Orientation, Photic Stimulation, Regression Analysis, Saccades, Visual Fields, Visual Perception, Wind}, issn = {0022-0949}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2010.06.072}, author = {Budick, Seth A and Reiser, Michael B and Dickinson, Michael H} } @article {2360, title = {A test bed for insect-inspired robotic control.}, journal = {Philosophical Transactions. Series A, Mathematical, Physical, and Engineering Sciences}, volume = {361}, year = {2003}, month = {2003 Oct 15}, pages = {2267-85}, abstract = {

Flying insects are remarkable examples of sophisticated sensory-motor control systems. Insects have solved the fundamental challenge facing the field of mobile robots: robust sensory-motor mapping. Control models based on insects can contribute much to the design of robotic control systems. We present our work on a preliminary robotic control system inspired by current behavioural and physiological models of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. We designed a five-degrees-of-freedom robotic system that serves as a novel simulation/mobile robot hybrid. This design has allowed us to implement a fly-inspired control system that uses visual and mechanosensory feedback. Our results suggest that a simple control scheme can yield surprisingly robust fly-like robotic behaviour.

}, keywords = {Adaptation, Animal, Automated, Biological, Biomimetics, Computer Simulation, Equipment Design, Feedback, Flight, Models, Orientation, Pattern Recognition, Physiological, Pilot Projects, Robotics, Space Perception, Visual}, issn = {1364-503X}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2010.06.072}, author = {Reiser, Michael B and Dickinson, Michael H} }