Visual pattern memory requires foraging function in the central complex of Drosophila

A genetic polymorphism affecting reliance on personal versus public information in a spatial learning task in Drosophila melanogaster

Organisms that face behavioural challenges can use different types of information to guide their decisions. First, they can use the personal information they sample in their environment. Second, they can use the inadvertent social information provided by the behaviour of conspecifics or heterospecifics (i.e. public information). Currently, little is known about the interaction between genetic variation and the use of personal versus public information in natural populations. Here, we investigated whether a natural genetic polymorphism affects the use of personal versus public information in a spatial learning task in Drosophila melanogaster. We found that genetic variation at the foraging locus interacts with social context during spatial learning. While both allelic variants are able to use personal and public information to improve their navigation during 10 training trials, a probe trial revealed that individuals carrying the for(R) (rover) allele rely mainly on personal information, whereas individuals carrying the for(s) (sitter) allele either use or display more public information than rovers. Accordingly, transfer of social information is more important in groups of sitters than in groups of rovers. These results suggest that a positive feedback loop can occur between alleles promoting group living, such as for(s), and the use and/or display of public information, ultimately providing the opportunity for the joint evolution of sociality and cultural traits.

The novel long non-coding RNA CRG regulates Drosophila locomotor behavior

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) that have no protein-coding capacity make up a large proportion of the transcriptome of various species. Many lncRNAs are expressed within the animal central nervous system in spatial- and temporal-specific patterns, indicating that lncRNAs play important roles in cellular processes, neural development, and even in cognitive and behavioral processes. However, relatively little is known about their in vivo functions and underlying molecular mechanisms in the nervous system. Here, we report a neural-specific Drosophila lncRNA, CASK regulatory gene (CRG), which participates in locomotor activity and climbing ability by positively regulating its neighboring gene CASK (Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase). CRG deficiency led to reduced locomotor activity and a defective climbing ability-phenotypes that are often seen in CASK mutant. CRG mutant also showed reduced CASK expression level while CASK over-expression could rescue the CRG mutant phenotypes in reciprocal. At the molecular level, CRG was required for the recruitment of RNA polymerase II to the CASK promoter regions, which in turn enhanced CASK expression. Our work has revealed new functional roles of lncRNAs and has provided insights to explore the pathogenesis of neurological diseases associated with movement disorders.

Representation of the brain's superior protocerebrum of the flesh fly, Neobellieria bullata, in the central body

The central complex of the insect brain is a system of midline neuropils involved in transforming sensory information into behavioral outputs. Genetic studies focusing on nerve cells supplying the central complex from the protocerebrum propose that such neurons play key roles in circuits involved in learning the distinction of visual cues during operant conditioning. To better identify the possible sites of such circuits we used Bodian and anti-synapsin staining to resolve divisions of the superior protocerebrum into discrete neuropils. Here we show that in the fly Neobellieria bullata, the superior protocerebrum is composed of at least five clearly defined regions that correspond to those identified in Drosophila melanogaster. Intracellular dye fills and Golgi impregnations resolve "tangential neurons" that have intricate systems of branches in two of these regions. The branches are elaborate, decorated with specializations indicative of pre- and postsynaptic sites. The tangentially arranged terminals of these neurons extend across characteristic levels of the central complex's fan-shaped body. In this and another blowfly species, we identify an asymmetric pair of neuropils situated deep in the fan-shaped body, called the asymmetric bodies because of their likely homology with similar elements in Drosophila. One of the pair of bodies receives collaterals from symmetric arrangements of tangential neuron terminals. Cobalt injections reveal that the superior protocerebrum is richly supplied with local interneurons that are likely participants in microcircuitry associated with the distal processes of tangential neurons. Understanding the morphologies and arrangements of these and other neurons is essential for correctly interpreting functional attributes of the central complex.

The visual orientation memory of Drosophila requires Foraging (PKG) upstream of Ignorant (RSK2) in ring neurons of the central complex

Orientation and navigation in a complex environment requires path planning and recall to exert goal-driven behavior. Walking Drosophila flies possess a visual orientation memory for attractive targets which is localized in the central complex of the adult brain. Here we show that this type of working memory requires the cGMP-dependent protein kinase encoded by the foraging gene in just one type of ellipsoid-body ring neurons. Moreover, genetic and epistatic interaction studies provide evidence that Foraging functions upstream of the Ignorant Ribosomal-S6 Kinase 2, thus revealing a novel neuronal signaling pathway necessary for this type of memory in Drosophila.

Distribution of metabotropic receptors of serotonin, dopamine, GABA, glutamate, and short neuropeptide F in the central complex of Drosophila

The central complex is a prominent set of midline neuropils in the insect brain, known to be a higher locomotor control center that integrates visual inputs and modulates motor outputs. It is composed of four major neuropil structures, the ellipsoid body (EB), fan-shaped body (FB), noduli (NO), and protocerebral bridge (PB). In Drosophila different types of central complex neurons have been shown to express multiple neuropeptides and neurotransmitters; however, the distribution of corresponding receptors is not known. Here, we have mapped metabotropic, G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) of several neurotransmitters to neurons of the central complex. By combining immunocytochemistry with GAL4 driven green fluorescent protein, we examined the distribution patterns of six different GPCRs: two serotonin receptor subtypes (5-HT(1B) and 5-HT(7)), a dopamine receptor (DopR), the metabotropic GABA(B) receptor (GABA(B)R), the metabotropic glutamate receptor (DmGluR(A)) and a short neuropeptide F receptor (sNPFR1). Five of the six GPCRs were mapped to different neurons in the EB (sNPFR1 was not seen). Different layers of the FB express DopR, GABA(B)R, DmGluR(A,) and sNPFR1, whereas only GABA(B)R and DmGluR(A) were localized to the PB. Finally, strong expression of DopR and DmGluR(A) was detected in the NO. In most cases the distribution patterns of the GPCRs matched the expression of markers for their respective ligands. In some nonmatching regions it is likely that other types of dopamine and serotonin receptors or ionotropic GABA and glutamate receptors are expressed. Our data suggest that chemical signaling and signal modulation are diverse and highly complex in the different compartments and circuits of the Drosophila central complex. The information provided here, on receptor distribution, will be very useful for future analysis of functional circuits in the central complex, based on targeted interference with receptor expression.

Critical role for protein kinase A in the acquisition of gregarious behavior in the desert locust

The mechanisms that integrate genetic and environmental information to coordinate the expression of complex phenotypes are little understood. We investigated the role of two protein kinases (PKs) in the population density-dependent transition to gregarious behavior that underlies swarm formation in desert locusts: the foraging gene product, a cGMP-dependent PK (PKG) implicated in switching between alternative group-related behaviors in several animal species; and cAMP-dependent PK (PKA), a signal transduction protein with a preeminent role in different forms of learning. Solitarious locusts acquire key behavioral characters of the swarming gregarious phase within just 1 to 4 h of forced crowding. Injecting the PKA inhibitor KT5720 before crowding prevented this transition, whereas injecting KT5823, an inhibitor of PKG, did not. Neither drug altered the behavior of long-term gregarious locusts. RNAi against foraging effectively reduced its expression in the central nervous system, but this did not prevent gregarization upon crowding. By contrast, solitarious locusts with an RNAi-induced reduction in PKA catalytic subunit C1 expression behaved less gregariously after crowding, and RNAi against the inhibitory R1 subunit promoted more extensive gregarization following a brief crowding period. A central role of PKA is congruent with the recent discovery that serotonin mediates gregarization in locusts and with findings in vertebrates that similarly implicate PKA in the capacity to cope with adverse life events. Our results show that PKA has been coopted into effecting the wide-ranging transformation from solitarious to gregarious behavior, with PKA-mediated behavioral plasticity resulting in an environmentally driven reorganization of a complex phenotype.

Conservation of gene function in behaviour

Behaviour genetic research has shown that a given gene or gene pathway can influence categorically similar behaviours in different species. Questions about the conservation of gene function in behaviour are increasingly tractable. This is owing to the surge of DNA and 'omics data, bioinformatic tools, as well as advances in technologies for behavioural phenotyping. Here, we discuss how gene function, as a hierarchical biological phenomenon, can be used to examine behavioural homology across species. The question can be addressed independently using different levels of investigation including the DNA sequence, the gene's position in a genetic pathway, spatial-temporal tissue expression and neural circuitry. Selected examples from the literature are used to illustrate this point. We will also discuss how qualitative and quantitative comparisons of the behavioural phenotype, its function and the importance of environmental and social context should be used in cross-species comparisons. We conclude that (i) there are homologous behaviours, (ii) they are hard to define and (iii) neurogenetics and genomics investigations should help in this endeavour.

The influence of natural variation at the foraging gene on thermotolerance in adult Drosophila in a narrow temperature range

Poikilothermic organisms such as insects have mechanisms to protect neural function under high temperature stress. Natural variation at the foraging (for) locus of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, encoding a cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG), influences neural thermotolerance in Drosophila larvae. The current study re-examines thermotolerance of adult flies to account for inconsistencies in the documented role of for during hyperthermia. We found that adult for (R) (rover) flies with high PKG activity were incapacitated faster under hyperthermic conditions of 39°C compared to their lower PKG activity counterparts for (s) and for (s2) (sitters), but not at higher temperatures. This indicates that lowered PKG activity promotes tolerance to heat stress, and that the for gene influences thermotolerance for a narrow range of temperatures in adult flies.

Neural organization and visual processing in the anterior optic tubercle of the honeybee brain

The honeybee Apis mellifera represents a valuable model for studying the neural segregation and integration of visual information. Vision in honeybees has been extensively studied at the behavioral level and, to a lesser degree, at the physiological level using intracellular electrophysiological recordings of single neurons. However, our knowledge of visual processing in honeybees is still limited by the lack of functional studies of visual processing at the circuit level. Here we contribute to filling this gap by providing a neuroanatomical and neurophysiological characterization at the circuit level of a practically unstudied visual area of the bee brain, the anterior optic tubercle (AOTu). First, we analyzed the internal organization and neuronal connections of the AOTu. Second, we established a novel protocol for performing optophysiological recordings of visual circuit activity in the honeybee brain and studied the responses of AOTu interneurons during stimulation of distinct eye regions. Our neuroanatomical data show an intricate compartmentalization and connectivity of the AOTu, revealing a dorsoventral segregation of the visual input to the AOTu. Light stimuli presented in different parts of the visual field (dorsal, lateral, or ventral) induce distinct patterns of activation in AOTu output interneurons, retaining to some extent the dorsoventral input segregation revealed by our neuroanatomical data. In particular, activity patterns evoked by dorsal and ventral eye stimulation are clearly segregated into distinct AOTu subunits. Our results therefore suggest an involvement of the AOTu in the processing of dorsoventrally segregated visual information in the honeybee brain.

Inducing sleep by remote control facilitates memory consolidation in Drosophila

Sleep is believed to play an important role in memory consolidation. We induced sleep on demand by expressing the temperature-gated nonspecific cation channel Transient receptor potential cation channel (UAS-TrpA1) in neurons, including those with projections to the dorsal fan-shaped body (FB). When the temperature was raised to 31°C, flies entered a quiescent state that meets the criteria for identifying sleep. When sleep was induced for 4 hours after a massed-training protocol for courtship conditioning that is not capable of inducing long-term memory (LTM) by itself, flies develop an LTM. Activating the dorsal FB in the absence of sleep did not result in the formation of LTM after massed training.

The serotonin 5-HT7Dro receptor is expressed in the brain of Drosophila, and is essential for normal courtship and mating

The 5-HT(7) receptor remains one of the less well characterized serotonin receptors. Although it has been demonstrated to be involved in the regulation of mood, sleep, and circadian rhythms, as well as relaxation of vascular smooth muscles in mammals, the precise mechanisms underlying these functions remain largely unknown. The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is an attractive model organism to study neuropharmacological, molecular, and behavioral processes that are largely conserved with mammals. Drosophila express a homolog of the mammalian 5-HT(7) receptor, as well as homologs for the mammalian 5-HT(1A), and 5-HT(2), receptors. Each fly receptor couples to the same effector pathway as their mammalian counterpart and have been demonstrated to mediate similar behavioral responses. Here, we report on the expression and function of the 5-HT(7)Dro receptor in Drosophila. In the larval central nervous system, expression is detected postsynaptically in discreet cells and neuronal circuits. In the adult brain there is strong expression in all large-field R neurons that innervate the ellipsoid body, as well as in a small group of cells that cluster with the PDF-positive LNvs neurons that mediate circadian activity. Following both pharmacological and genetic approaches, we have found that 5-HT(7)Dro activity is essential for normal courtship and mating behaviors in the fly, where it appears to mediate levels of interest in both males and females. This is the first reported evidence of direct involvement of a particular serotonin receptor subtype in courtship and mating in the fly.

A comparative review of short and long neuropeptide F signaling in invertebrates: Any similarities to vertebrate neuropeptide Y signaling?

Neuropeptides referred to as neuropeptide F (NPF) and short neuropeptide F (sNPF) have been identified in numerous invertebrate species. Sequence information has expanded tremendously due to recent genome sequencing and EST projects. Analysis of sequences of the peptides and prepropeptides strongly suggest that NPFs and sNPFs are not closely related. However, the NPFs are likely to be ancestrally related to the vertebrate family of neuropeptide Y (NPY) peptides. Peptide diversification may have been accomplished by different mechanisms in NPFs and sNPFs; in the former by gene duplications followed by diversification and in the sNPFs by internal duplications resulting in paracopies of peptides. We discuss the distribution and functions of NPFs and their receptors in several model invertebrates. Signaling with sNPF, however, has been investigated mainly in insects, especially in Drosophila. Both in invertebrates and in mammals NPF/NPY play roles in feeding, metabolism, reproduction and stress responses. Several other NPF functions have been studied in Drosophila that may be shared with mammals. In Drosophila sNPFs are widely distributed in numerous neurons of the CNS and some gut endocrines and their functions may be truly pleiotropic. Peptide distribution and experiments suggest roles of sNPF in feeding and growth, stress responses, modulation of locomotion and olfactory inputs, hormone release, as well as learning and memory. Available data indicate that NPF and sNPF signaling systems are distinct and not likely to play redundant roles.

cGMP modulates responses to queen mandibular pheromone in worker honey bees

Responses to social cues, such as pheromones, can be modified by genotype, physiology, or environmental context. Honey bee queens produce a pheromone (queen mandibular pheromone; QMP) which regulates aspects of worker bee behavior and physiology. Forager bees are less responsive to QMP than young bees engaged in brood care, suggesting that physiological changes associated with behavioral maturation modulate response to this pheromone. Since 3',5'-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) is a major regulator of behavioral maturation in workers, we examined its role in modulating worker responses to QMP. Treatment with a cGMP analog resulted in significant reductions in both behavioral and physiological responses to QMP in young caged workers. Treatment significantly reduced attraction to QMP and inhibited the QMP-mediated increase in vitellogenin RNA levels in the fat bodies of worker bees. Genome-wide analysis of brain gene expression patterns demonstrated that cGMP has a larger effect on expression levels than QMP, and that QMP has specific effects in the presence of cGMP, suggesting that some responses to QMP may be dependent on an individual bees' physiological state. Our data suggest that cGMP-mediated processes play a role in modulating responses to QMP in honey bees at the behavioral, physiological, and molecular levels.

Proteomic and transcriptomic analysis of visual long-term memory in Drosophila melanogaster

The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is able to discriminate visual landmarks and form visual long-term memory in a flight simulator. Studies focused on the molecular mechanism of long-term memory have shown that memory formation requires mRNA transcription and protein synthesis. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying the visual learning paradigm. The present study demonstrated that both spaced training procedure (STP) and consecutive training procedure (CTP) would induce long-term memory at 12 hour after training, and STP caused significantly higher 12-h memory scores compared with CTP. Label-free quantification of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and microarray were utilized to analyze proteomic and transcriptomic differences between the STP and CTP groups. Proteomic analysis revealed 30 up-regulated and 27 down-regulated proteins; Transcriptomic analysis revealed 145 up-regulated and 129 down-regulated genes. Among them, five candidate genes were verified by quantitative PCR, which revealed results similar to microarray. These results provide insight into the molecular components influencing visual long-term memory and facilitate further studies on the roles of identified genes in memory formation.

Age- and task-dependent foraging gene expression in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris

In eusocial insects, the division of labor within a colony, based on either age or size, is correlated with a differential foraging (for) gene expression and PKG activity. This article presents in the first part a study on the for gene, encoding a cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris. Cloning of the open reading frame allowed phylogenetic tracing, which showed conservation of PKGs among social insects. Our results confirm the proposed role for PKGs in division of labor. Btfor gene expression is significantly higher in the larger foragers compared with the smaller sized nurses. More importantly, we discovered an age-related decrease in Btfor expression in both nursing and foraging bumblebees. We therefore speculate that the presence of BtFOR is required for correct adaptation to new external stimuli and rapid learning for foraging. In a second series of experiments, worker bumblebees of B. terrestris were treated with two insecticides imidacloprid and kinoprene, which have shown to cause impaired foraging behavior. Compared with controls, only the latter treatment resulted in a decreased Btfor expression, which concurs with a stimulation of ovarian growth and a shift in labor toward nest-related tasks. The data are discussed in relation to Btfor expression in the complex physiological event of foraging and side-effects by pesticides.

Learning and memory in Drosophila: behavior, genetics, and neural systems

The rich behavioral repertoire that Drosophila use to navigate in their natural environment suggests that flies can use memories to inform decisions. Development of paradigms to examine memories that restrict behavioral choice was essential in furthering our understanding of the genetics and neural systems of memory formation in the fly. Olfactory, visual, and place memory paradigms have proven influential in determining principles for the mechanisms of memory formation. Several parts of the nervous system have been shown to be important for different types of memories, including the mushroom bodies and the central complex. Thus far, about 40 genes have been linked to normal olfactory short-term memory. A subset of these genes have also been tested for a role in visual and place memory. Some genes have a common function in memory formation, specificity of action comes from where in the nervous system these genes act. Alternatively, some genes have a more restricted role in different types of memories.

Use of spatial information and search strategies in a water maze analog in Drosophila melanogaster

Learning the spatial organization of the environment is crucial to fitness in most animal species. Understanding proximate and ultimate factors underpinning spatial memory is thus a major goal in the study of animal behavior. Despite considerable interest in various aspects of its behavior and biology, the model species Drosophila melanogaster lacks a standardized apparatus to investigate spatial learning and memory. We propose here a novel apparatus, the heat maze, conceptually based on the Morris water maze used in rodents. Using the heat maze, we demonstrate that D. melanogaster flies are able to use either proximal or distal visual cues to increase their performance in navigating to a safe zone. We also show that flies are actively using the orientation of distal visual cues when relevant in targeting the safe zone, i.e., Drosophila display spatial learning. Parameter-based classification of search strategies demonstrated the progressive use of spatially precise search strategies during learning. We discuss the opportunity to unravel the mechanistic and evolutionary bases of spatial learning in Drosophila using the heat maze.

Nitric oxide metabolism controlled by formaldehyde dehydrogenase (fdh, homolog of mammalian GSNOR) plays a crucial role in visual pattern memory in Drosophila

Nitric oxide (NO) plays an important role in learning and memory which is essential for animals to adapt to the external environment. However, little is known about the role of NO metabolism in this process. S-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR) is a key protein in the control of NO metabolism and protein S-nitrosation. To study the relationship between NO metabolism and learning and memory, the expression of gene fdh which is homolog to mammalian GSNOR was modulated by the Gal4/UAS system in Drosophila. The over-expression of the fdh in the central nervous system significantly increased GSNOR activity and induced visual pattern memory defects of Drosophila. The role of fdh in learning and memory was independent of development and was neuron-specific: over-expression of the fdh in the fan-shaped body induced memory defect, while over-expression in the mushroom body did not. The visual pattern memory defect could be rescued by co-expression with exogenous cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG). Moreover, fdh over-expression resulted in denitrosation of multiple proteins functionally enriched in vesicle-mediated transport, which is important for learning and memory. These results showed that regulation of NO metabolism plays an important role in learning and memory, and the mechanism may involve both NO-cGMP-PKG signaling pathway and S-nitrosation modification.

Beta-adrenergic receptors link NO/sGC/PKG signaling to BDNF expression during the consolidation of object recognition long-term memory

The nitric oxide (NO)/soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC)/protein kinase G (PKG) pathway is important for memory processing, but the identity of its downstream effectors as well as its actual participation in the consolidation of nonaversive declarative long-term memory (LTM) remain unknown. Here, we show that training rats in an object recognition (OR) learning task rapidly increased nitrites/nitrates (NOx) content in the CA1 region of the dorsal hippocampus while posttraining intra-CA1 microinfusion of the neuronal NO synthase (nNOS) inhibitor L-NN hindered OR LTM retention without affecting memory retrieval or other behavioral variables. The amnesic effect of L-NN was not state dependent, was mimicked by the sGC inhibitor LY83583 and the PKG inhibitor KT-5823, and reversed by coinfusion of the NO donor S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP) and the PKG activator 8-bromoguanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8Br-cGMP). SNAP did not affect the amnesic effect of LY83583 and KT-5823. Conversely, 8Br-cGMP overturned the amnesia induced by LY83583 but not that caused by KT-5823. Intra-CA1 infusion of the beta-adrenergic receptor blocker timolol right after training hindered OR LTM and, although coadministration of noradrenaline reversed the amnesia caused by L-NN, LY83583, and KT5823, the amnesic effect of timolol was unaffected by coinfusion of 8Br-cGMP or SNAP, indicating that hippocampal beta-adrenergic receptors act downstream NO/sGC/PKG signaling. We also found that posttraining intra-CA1 infusion of function-blocking anti-brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) antibodies hampered OR LTM retention, whereas OR training increased CA1 BDNF levels in a nNOS- and beta-adrenergic receptor-dependent manner. Taken together, our results demonstrate that NO/sGC/PKG signaling in the hippocampus is essential for OR memory consolidation and suggest that beta-adrenergic receptors link the activation of this pathway to BDNF expression during the consolidation of declarative memories.

Neuropeptides in the Drosophila central complex in modulation of locomotor behavior

The central complex is one of the most prominent neuropils in the insect brain. It has been implicated in the control of locomotor activity and is considered as a pre-motor center. Several neuropeptides are expressed in circuits of the central complex, and thus may be modulators of locomotor behavior. Here we have investigated the roles of two different neuropeptides, Drosophila tachykinin (DTK) and short neuropeptide F (sNPF), in aspects of locomotor behavior. In the Drosophila brain, DTK and sNPF are expressed in interneurons innervating the central complex. We have directed RNA interference (RNAi) towards DTK and sNPF specifically in different central complex neurons. We also expressed a temperature-sensitive dominant negative allele of the fly ortholog of dynamin called shibirets1, essential in membrane vesicle recycling and endocytosis, to disrupt synaptic transmission in central complex neurons. The spontaneous walking activity of the RNAi- or shibirets1-expressing flies was quantified by video tracking. DTK-deficient flies displayed drastically increased center zone avoidance, suggesting that DTK is involved in the regulation of spatial orientation. In addition, DTK deficiency in other central complex neurons resulted in flies with an increased number of activity–rest bouts. Perturbations in the sNPF circuit indicated that this peptide is involved in the fine regulation of locomotor activity levels. Our findings suggest that the contribution of DTK and sNPF to locomotor behavior is circuit dependent and associated with particular neuronal substrates. Thus, peptidergic pathways in the central complex have specific roles in the fine tuning of locomotor activity of adult Drosophila.

Drosophila histone deacetylase 6 protects dopaminergic neurons against {alpha}-synuclein toxicity by promoting inclusion formation

dHDAC6 functions to suppress α-synuclein-induced neurodegeneration and locomotion defects in a Drosophila PD model through promoting α-synuclein-enriched inclusion formation while reducing the toxic oligomers.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with progressive degeneration of dopaminergic (DA) neurons. We report for the first time that the Drosophila histone deacetylase 6 (dHDAC6) plays a critical role in the protection of DA neurons and the formation of α-synuclein inclusions by using a Drosophila PD model constructed by ectopic expression of human α-synuclein. Depletion of dHDAC6 significantly enhances the effects caused by ectopic expression of α-synuclein, namely, loss of DA neurons, retinal degeneration, and locomotor dysfunction. Expression of α-synuclein in the DA neurons leads to fewer inclusions in the brains of dHDAC6 mutant flies than in wild-type flies. Conversely, overexpression of dHDAC6 is able to suppress the α-synuclein–induced DA neuron loss and retinal degeneration and promote inclusion formation. Furthermore, mutation of dHDAC6 reinforces the accumulation of oligomers that are suggested to be a toxic form of α-synuclein. We propose that α-synuclein inclusion formation in the presence of dHDAC6 protects DA neurons from being damaged by oligomers, which may uncover a common mechanism for synucleinopathies.

Short-term memories in Drosophila are governed by general and specific genetic systems

In a dynamic environment, there is an adaptive value in the ability of animals to acquire and express memories. That both simple and complex animals can learn is therefore not surprising. How animals have solved this problem genetically and anatomically probably lies somewhere in a range between a single molecular/anatomical mechanism that applies to all situations and a specialized mechanism for each learning situation. With an intermediate level of nervous system complexity, the fruit fly Drosophila has both general and specific resources to support different short-term memories. Some biochemical/cellular mechanisms are common between learning situations, indicating that flies do not have a dedicated system for each learning context. The opposite possible extreme does not apply to Drosophila either. Specialization in some biochemical and anatomical terms suggests that there is not a single learning mechanism that applies to all conditions. The distributed basis of learning in Drosophila implies that these systems were independently selected.

A pair of dopamine neurons target the D1-like dopamine receptor DopR in the central complex to promote ethanol-stimulated locomotion in Drosophila

Dopamine is a mediator of the stimulant properties of drugs of abuse, including ethanol, in mammals and in the fruit fly Drosophila. The neural substrates for the stimulant actions of ethanol in flies are not known. We show that a subset of dopamine neurons and their targets, through the action of the D1-like dopamine receptor DopR, promote locomotor activation in response to acute ethanol exposure. A bilateral pair of dopaminergic neurons in the fly brain mediates the enhanced locomotor activity induced by ethanol exposure, and promotes locomotion when directly activated. These neurons project to the central complex ellipsoid body, a structure implicated in regulating motor behaviors. Ellipsoid body neurons are required for ethanol-induced locomotor activity and they express DopR. Elimination of DopR blunts the locomotor activating effects of ethanol, and this behavior can be restored by selective expression of DopR in the ellipsoid body. These data tie the activity of defined dopamine neurons to D1-like DopR-expressing neurons to form a neural circuit that governs acute responding to ethanol.

The Locust Standard Brain: A 3D Standard of the Central Complex as a Platform for Neural Network Analysis

Many insects use the pattern of polarized light in the sky for spatial orientation and navigation. We have investigated the polarization vision system in the desert locust. To create a common platform for anatomical studies on polarization vision pathways, Kurylas et al. (2008) have generated a three-dimensional (3D) standard brain from confocal microscopy image stacks of 10 male brains, using two different standardization methods, the Iterative Shape Averaging (ISA) procedure and the Virtual Insect Brain (VIB) protocol. Comparison of both standardization methods showed that the VIB standard is ideal for comparative volume analysis of neuropils, whereas the ISA standard is the method of choice to analyze the morphology and connectivity of neurons. The central complex is a key processing stage for polarization information in the locust brain. To investigate neuronal connections between diverse central-complex neurons, we generated a higher-resolution standard atlas of the central complex and surrounding areas, using the ISA method based on brain sections from 20 individual central complexes. To explore the usefulness of this atlas, two central-complex neurons, a polarization-sensitive columnar neuron (type CPU1a) and a tangential neuron that is activated during flight, the giant fan-shaped (GFS) neuron, were reconstructed 3D from brain sections. To examine whether the GFS neuron is a candidate to contribute to synaptic input to the CPU1a neuron, we registered both neurons into the standardized central complex. Visualization of both neurons revealed a potential connection of the CPU1a and GFS neurons in layer II of the upper division of the central body.

Roles of octopaminergic and dopaminergic neurons in appetitive and aversive memory recall in an insect

Background

In insect classical conditioning, octopamine (the invertebrate counterpart of noradrenaline) or dopamine has been suggested to mediate reinforcing properties of appetitive or aversive unconditioned stimulus, respectively. However, the roles of octopaminergic and dopaminergic neurons in memory recall have remained unclear.

Results

We studied the roles of octopaminergic and dopaminergic neurons in appetitive and aversive memory recall in olfactory and visual conditioning in crickets. We found that pharmacological blockade of octopamine and dopamine receptors impaired aversive memory recall and appetitive memory recall, respectively, thereby suggesting that activation of octopaminergic and dopaminergic neurons and the resulting release of octopamine and dopamine are needed for appetitive and aversive memory recall, respectively. On the basis of this finding, we propose a new model in which it is assumed that two types of synaptic connections are formed by conditioning and are activated during memory recall, one type being connections from neurons representing conditioned stimulus to neurons inducing conditioned response and the other being connections from neurons representing conditioned stimulus to octopaminergic or dopaminergic neurons representing appetitive or aversive unconditioned stimulus, respectively. The former is called 'stimulus-response connection' and the latter is called 'stimulus-stimulus connection' by theorists studying classical conditioning in higher vertebrates. Our model predicts that pharmacological blockade of octopamine or dopamine receptors during the first stage of second-order conditioning does not impair second-order conditioning, because it impairs the formation of the stimulus-response connection but not the stimulus-stimulus connection. The results of our study with a cross-modal second-order conditioning were in full accordance with this prediction.

Conclusion

We suggest that insect classical conditioning involves the formation of two kinds of memory traces, which match to stimulus-stimulus connection and stimulus-response connection. This is the first study to suggest that classical conditioning in insects involves, as does classical conditioning in higher vertebrates, the formation of stimulus-stimulus connection and its activation for memory recall, which are often called cognitive processes.

NO/cGMP signalling: L: -citrulline and cGMP immunostaining in the central complex of the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria

Nitric oxide (NO) is a gaseous messenger molecule formed during conversion of L: -arginine into L: -citrulline by the enzyme NO synthase (NOS), which belongs to a group of NADPH diaphorases. Because of its gaseous diffusion properties, NO differs from classical neurotransmitters in that it is not restricted to synaptic terminals. In target cells, NO activates soluble guanylyl cyclase leading to an increase in cGMP levels. In insects, this NO/cGMP-signalling pathway is involved in development, memory formation and processing of visual, olfactory and mechanosensory information. We have analysed the distribution of putative NO donor and target cells in the central complex, a brain area involved in sky-compass orientation, of the locust Schistocerca gregaria by immunostaining for L: -citrulline and cGMP. Six types of citrulline-immunostained neurons have been identified including a bilateral pair of hitherto undescribed neurons that connect the lateral accessory lobes with areas anterior to the medial lobes of the mushroom bodies. Three-dimensional reconstructions have revealed the connectivity pattern of a set of 18 immunostained pontine neurons of the central body. All these neurons appear to be a subset of previously mapped NADPH-diaphorase-positive neurons of the central complex. At least three types of central-complex neurons show cGMP immunostaining including a system of novel columnar neurons connecting the upper division of the central body and the lateral triangle of the lateral accessory lobe. Our results provide the morphological basis for further studies of the function of the labelled neurons and new insights into NO/cGMP signalling.

Morphological characterization of single fan-shaped body neurons in Drosophila melanogaster

The fan-shaped body is the largest substructure of the central complex in Drosophila melanogaster. Two groups of large-field neurons that innervate the fan-shaped body, viz., F1 and F5 neurons, have recently been found to be involved in visual pattern memory for "contour orientation" and "elevation" in a rut-dependent manner. The F5 neurons have been found to be responsible for the parameter "elevation" in a for-dependent manner. We have shown here that the F1 neuron also affects visual memory for "contour orientation" in a for-dependent way. With the help of Gal4/UAS and FLP-out techniques, we have characterized the morphological features of these two groups of neurons at single neuron resolution. We have observed that F1 or F5 neurons are groups of isomorphic individual neurons. Single F1 neurons have three main arborization regions: one in the first layer of the fan-shaped body, one in the ventral body, and another in the inferior medial protocerebrum. Single F5 neurons have two arborization regions: one in the fifth layer of the fan-shaped body and the other in the superior medial protocerebrum. The polarity of the F1 and F5 neurons has been studied with the Syt-GFP marker. Our results indicate the existence of presynaptic sites of both F1 and F5 neurons located in the fan-shaped body and postsynaptic sites outside of the fan-shaped body.

The effect of age on a visual learning task in the American cockroach

Neuronal modifications that accompany normal aging occur in brain neuropils and might share commonalities across phyla including the most successful group, the Insecta. This study addresses the kinds of neuronal modifications associated with loss of memory that occur in the hemimetabolous insect Periplaneta americana. Among insects that display considerable longevity, the American cockroach lives up to 64 wk and reveals specific cellular alterations in its mushroom bodies, higher centers that have been shown to be associated with learning and memory. The present results describe a vision-based learning paradigm, based on a modified Barnes maze, that compares memory in young (10-wk old), middle-aged (30-wk old), and aged adults (50-wk old). We show that not only is the performance of this task during the 14 training trials significantly decremented in aged cockroaches, but that aged cockroaches show significant impairment in successfully completing a crucial test involving cue rotation. Light and electron microscopical examination of the brains of these different age groups reveal major changes in neuron morphology and synaptology in the mushroom body lobes, centers shown to underlie place memory in this taxon.

Mushroom bodies enhance initial motor activity in Drosophila

The central body (or central complex, CCX) and the mushroom bodies (MBs) are brain structures in most insect phyla that have been shown to influence aspects of locomotion. The CCX regulates motor coordination and enhances activity while MBs have, thus far, been shown to suppress motor activity levels measured over time intervals ranging from hours to weeks. In this report, we investigate MB involvement in motor behavior during the initial stages (15 minutes) of walking in Buridan's paradigm. We measured aspects of walking in flies that had MB lesions induced by mutations in six different genes and by chemical ablation. All tested flies were later examined histologically to assess MB neuroanatomy. Mutant strains with MB structural defects were generally less active in walking than wild-type flies. Most mutants in which MBs were also ablated with hydroxyurea (HU) showed additional activity decrements. Variation in measures of velocity and orientation to landmarks among wild-type and mutant flies was attributed to pleiotropy, rather than to MB lesions. We conclude that MBs upregulate activity during the initial stages of walking, but suppress activity thereafter. An MB influence on decision making has been shown in a wide range of complex behaviors. We suggest that MBs provide appropriate contextual information to motor output systems in the brain, indirectly fine tuning walking by modifying the quantity (i.e., activity) of behavior.

cGMP-dependent protein kinase as a modifier of behaviour

The importance of cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) to the modulation of behavioural phenotypes has become increasingly clear in recent decades. The effects of PKG on behaviour have been studied in diverse taxa from perspectives as varied as ethology, evolution, genetics and neuropharmacology. The genetic variation of the Drosophila melanogaster gene, foraging (for), has provided a fertile model for examining natural variation in a single major gene influencing behaviour. Concurrent studies in other invertebrates and mammals suggest that PKG is an important signalling molecule with varied influences on behaviour and a large degree of pleiotropy and plasticity. Comparing these cross-taxa effects suggests that there are several potentially overlapping behavioural modalities in which PKG signalling acts to influence behaviours which include feeding, learning, stress and biological rhythms. More in-depth comparative analyses across taxa of the similarities and differences of the influence of PKG on behaviour may provide powerful mechanistic explications of the evolution of behaviour.