@article {48764, title = {A circuit node that integrates convergent input from neuromodulatory and social behavior-promoting neurons to control aggression in Drosophila.}, journal = {Neuron}, volume = {95}, year = {2017}, month = {2017 Aug 30}, pages = {1112-1128.e7}, abstract = {

Diffuse neuromodulatory systems such as norepinephrine (NE) control brain-wide states such as arousal, but whether they control complex social behaviors more specifically is not clear. Octopamine (OA), the insect homolog of NE, is known to promote both arousal and aggression. We have performed a\ systematic, unbiased screen to identify OA receptor-expressing neurons (OARNs) that control aggression in Drosophila. Our results uncover a tiny population of male-specific aSP2 neurons that mediate a specific influence of OA on aggression, independent of any effect on arousal. Unexpectedly, these neurons receive convergent input from OA neurons and P1 neurons, a population of FruM(+) neurons that promotes male courtship behavior. Behavioral epistasis experiments suggest that aSP2 neurons may constitute an integration node at which OAergic neuromodulation can bias the output of P1 neurons to favor aggression over inter-male courtship. These results have potential implications for thinking about\ the role of related neuromodulatory systems in mammals.

}, issn = {1097-4199}, doi = {10.1016/j.neuron.2017.08.017}, author = {Watanabe, Kiichi and Chiu, Hui and Pfeiffer, Barret D and Wong, Allan M and Hoopfer, Eric D and Rubin, Gerald M and Anderson, David J} } @article {48658, title = {A connectome of a learning and memory center in the adult Drosophila brain.}, journal = {eLife}, volume = {6}, year = {2017}, month = {2017 Jul 18}, pages = {e26975}, abstract = {

Understanding memory formation, storage and retrieval requires knowledge of the underlying neuronal circuits. In\ Drosophila, the mushroom body (MB) is the major site of associative learning. We reconstructed the morphologies and synaptic connections of all 983 neurons within the three functional units, or compartments, that compose the adult MB{\textquoteright}s α lobe, using a dataset of isotropic 8-nm voxels collected by focused ion-beam milling scanning electron microscopy. We found that Kenyon cells (KCs), whose sparse activity encodes sensory information, each make multiple\ en passant\ synapses to MB output neurons (MBONs) in each compartment. Some MBONs have inputs from all KCs, while others differentially sample sensory modalities. Only six percent of KC\>MBON synapses receive a direct synapse from a dopaminergic neuron (DAN). We identified two unanticipated classes of synapses, KC\>DAN and DAN\>MBON. DAN activation produces a slow depolarization of the MBON in these DAN\>MBON synapses and can weaken memory recall.

}, doi = {10.7554/eLife.26975}, author = {Takemura, Shin-ya and Aso, Yoshinori and Hige, Toshihide and Wong, Allan M and Lu, Zhiyuan and Xu, C Shan and Rivlin, Patricia K and Hess, Harald F and Zhao, Ting and Parag, Toufiq and Berg, Stuart and Huang, Gary and Katz, William T and Olbris, Donald J and Plaza, Stephen M and Umayam, Lowell A and Aniceto, Roxanne and Chang, Lei-Ann and Lauchie, Shirley and et al} }