Current techniques for high-resolution mapping of behavioral circuits in Drosophila

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

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Understanding behavior requires unraveling the mysteries of neurons, glia, and their extensive connectivity. Drosophila has emerged as an excellent organism for studying the neural basis of behavior. This can be largely attributed to the extensive effort of the fly community to develop numerous sophisticated genetic tools for visualizing, mapping, and manipulating behavioral circuits. Here, we attempt to highlight some of the new reagents, techniques and approaches available for dissecting behavioral circuits in Drosophila. We focus on detailing intersectional strategies such as the Flippase-induced intersectional Gal80/Gal4 repression (FINGR), because of the tremendous potential they possess for mapping the minimal number of cells required for a particular behavior. The logic and strategies outlined in this review should have broad applications for other genetic model organisms.

Keywords

  • Animals, Behavior, Animal/physiology, Drosophila/anatomy & histology, Genetic Techniques, Neural Pathways/anatomy & histology
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)895-909
Number of pages15
JournalJournal of Comparative Physiology A: Neuroethology, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology
Volume201
Issue number9
Early online date30 Apr 2015
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2015
Externally publishedYes
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