1
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Shiozaki HM, Wang K, Lillvis JL, Xu M, Dickson BJ, Stern DL. Activity of nested neural circuits drives different courtship songs in Drosophila. Nat Neurosci 2024; 27:1954-1965. [PMID: 39198658 PMCID: PMC11452343 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-024-01738-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2024] [Indexed: 09/01/2024]
Abstract
Motor systems implement diverse motor programs to pattern behavioral sequences, yet how different motor actions are controlled on a moment-by-moment basis remains unclear. Here, we investigated the neural circuit mechanisms underlying the control of distinct courtship songs in Drosophila. Courting males rapidly alternate between two types of song: pulse and sine. By recording calcium signals in the ventral nerve cord in singing flies, we found that one neural population is active during both songs, whereas an expanded neural population, which includes neurons from the first population, is active during pulse song. Brain recordings showed that this nested activation pattern is present in two descending pathways required for singing. Connectomic analysis reveals that these two descending pathways provide structured input to ventral nerve cord neurons in a manner consistent with their activation patterns. These results suggest that nested premotor circuit activity, directed by distinct descending signals, enables rapid switching between motor actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroshi M Shiozaki
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA.
| | - Kaiyu Wang
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
- Lingang Laboratory, Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Joshua L Lillvis
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Min Xu
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Barry J Dickson
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - David L Stern
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA.
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2
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Cowley BR, Calhoun AJ, Rangarajan N, Ireland E, Turner MH, Pillow JW, Murthy M. Mapping model units to visual neurons reveals population code for social behaviour. Nature 2024; 629:1100-1108. [PMID: 38778103 PMCID: PMC11136655 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07451-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
The rich variety of behaviours observed in animals arises through the interplay between sensory processing and motor control. To understand these sensorimotor transformations, it is useful to build models that predict not only neural responses to sensory input1-5 but also how each neuron causally contributes to behaviour6,7. Here we demonstrate a novel modelling approach to identify a one-to-one mapping between internal units in a deep neural network and real neurons by predicting the behavioural changes that arise from systematic perturbations of more than a dozen neuronal cell types. A key ingredient that we introduce is 'knockout training', which involves perturbing the network during training to match the perturbations of the real neurons during behavioural experiments. We apply this approach to model the sensorimotor transformations of Drosophila melanogaster males during a complex, visually guided social behaviour8-11. The visual projection neurons at the interface between the optic lobe and central brain form a set of discrete channels12, and prior work indicates that each channel encodes a specific visual feature to drive a particular behaviour13,14. Our model reaches a different conclusion: combinations of visual projection neurons, including those involved in non-social behaviours, drive male interactions with the female, forming a rich population code for behaviour. Overall, our framework consolidates behavioural effects elicited from various neural perturbations into a single, unified model, providing a map from stimulus to neuronal cell type to behaviour, and enabling future incorporation of wiring diagrams of the brain15 into the model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin R Cowley
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA.
| | - Adam J Calhoun
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | | | - Elise Ireland
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Maxwell H Turner
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Jonathan W Pillow
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Mala Murthy
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
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3
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Lillvis JL, Wang K, Shiozaki HM, Xu M, Stern DL, Dickson BJ. Nested neural circuits generate distinct acoustic signals during Drosophila courtship. Curr Biol 2024; 34:808-824.e6. [PMID: 38295797 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
Many motor control systems generate multiple movements using a common set of muscles. How are premotor circuits able to flexibly generate diverse movement patterns? Here, we characterize the neuronal circuits that drive the distinct courtship songs of Drosophila melanogaster. Male flies vibrate their wings toward females to produce two different song modes-pulse and sine song-which signal species identity and male quality. Using cell-type-specific genetic reagents and the connectome, we provide a cellular and synaptic map of the circuits in the male ventral nerve cord that generate these songs and examine how activating or inhibiting each cell type within these circuits affects the song. Our data reveal that the song circuit is organized into two nested feedforward pathways with extensive reciprocal and feedback connections. The larger network produces pulse song, the more complex and ancestral song form. A subset of this network produces sine song, the simpler and more recent form. Such nested organization may be a common feature of motor control circuits in which evolution has layered increasing flexibility onto a basic movement pattern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua L Lillvis
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 19700 Helix Dr., Ashburn, VA 20147, USA.
| | - Kaiyu Wang
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 19700 Helix Dr., Ashburn, VA 20147, USA; Lingang Laboratory, Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai 201602, China
| | - Hiroshi M Shiozaki
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 19700 Helix Dr., Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Min Xu
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 19700 Helix Dr., Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - David L Stern
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 19700 Helix Dr., Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Barry J Dickson
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 19700 Helix Dr., Ashburn, VA 20147, USA; Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4067, Australia.
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4
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Roemschied FA, Pacheco DA, Aragon MJ, Ireland EC, Li X, Thieringer K, Pang R, Murthy M. Flexible circuit mechanisms for context-dependent song sequencing. Nature 2023; 622:794-801. [PMID: 37821705 PMCID: PMC10600009 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06632-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
Sequenced behaviours, including locomotion, reaching and vocalization, are patterned differently in different contexts, enabling animals to adjust to their environments. How contextual information shapes neural activity to flexibly alter the patterning of actions is not fully understood. Previous work has indicated that this could be achieved via parallel motor circuits, with differing sensitivities to context1,2. Here we demonstrate that a single pathway operates in two regimes dependent on recent sensory history. We leverage the Drosophila song production system3 to investigate the role of several neuron types4-7 in song patterning near versus far from the female fly. Male flies sing 'simple' trains of only one mode far from the female fly but complex song sequences comprising alternations between modes when near her. We find that ventral nerve cord (VNC) circuits are shaped by mutual inhibition and rebound excitability8 between nodes driving the two song modes. Brief sensory input to a direct brain-to-VNC excitatory pathway drives simple song far from the female, whereas prolonged input enables complex song production via simultaneous recruitment of functional disinhibition of VNC circuitry. Thus, female proximity unlocks motor circuit dynamics in the correct context. We construct a compact circuit model to demonstrate that the identified mechanisms suffice to replicate natural song dynamics. These results highlight how canonical circuit motifs8,9 can be combined to enable circuit flexibility required for dynamic communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederic A Roemschied
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- European Neuroscience Institute, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Diego A Pacheco
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Max J Aragon
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Elise C Ireland
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Xinping Li
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Kyle Thieringer
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Rich Pang
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Mala Murthy
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
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5
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Schaffer ES, Mishra N, Whiteway MR, Li W, Vancura MB, Freedman J, Patel KB, Voleti V, Paninski L, Hillman EMC, Abbott LF, Axel R. The spatial and temporal structure of neural activity across the fly brain. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5572. [PMID: 37696814 PMCID: PMC10495430 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41261-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023] Open
Abstract
What are the spatial and temporal scales of brainwide neuronal activity? We used swept, confocally-aligned planar excitation (SCAPE) microscopy to image all cells in a large volume of the brain of adult Drosophila with high spatiotemporal resolution while flies engaged in a variety of spontaneous behaviors. This revealed neural representations of behavior on multiple spatial and temporal scales. The activity of most neurons correlated (or anticorrelated) with running and flailing over timescales that ranged from seconds to a minute. Grooming elicited a weaker global response. Significant residual activity not directly correlated with behavior was high dimensional and reflected the activity of small clusters of spatially organized neurons that may correspond to genetically defined cell types. These clusters participate in the global dynamics, indicating that neural activity reflects a combination of local and broadly distributed components. This suggests that microcircuits with highly specified functions are provided with knowledge of the larger context in which they operate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan S Schaffer
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA.
| | - Neeli Mishra
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Matthew R Whiteway
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
- Department of Statistics and the Grossman Center for the Statistics of Mind, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Wenze Li
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Michelle B Vancura
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Jason Freedman
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Kripa B Patel
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Venkatakaushik Voleti
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Liam Paninski
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
- Department of Statistics and the Grossman Center for the Statistics of Mind, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Elizabeth M C Hillman
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
- Department of Radiology, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - L F Abbott
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
- Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Richard Axel
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
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6
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Nicholas S, Ogawa Y, Nordström K. Dual Receptive Fields Underlying Target and Wide-Field Motion Sensitivity in Looming-Sensitive Descending Neurons. eNeuro 2023; 10:ENEURO.0188-23.2023. [PMID: 37429705 PMCID: PMC10368147 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0188-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Responding rapidly to visual stimuli is fundamental for many animals. For example, predatory birds and insects alike have amazing target detection abilities, with incredibly short neural and behavioral delays, enabling efficient prey capture. Similarly, looming objects need to be rapidly avoided to ensure immediate survival, as these could represent approaching predators. Male Eristalis tenax hoverflies are nonpredatory, highly territorial insects that perform high-speed pursuits of conspecifics and other territorial intruders. During the initial stages of the pursuit, the retinal projection of the target is very small, but this grows to a larger object before physical interaction. Supporting such behaviors, E. tenax and other insects have both target-tuned and loom-sensitive neurons in the optic lobes and the descending pathways. We here show that these visual stimuli are not necessarily encoded in parallel. Indeed, we describe a class of descending neurons that respond to small targets, to looming and to wide-field stimuli. We show that these descending neurons have two distinct receptive fields where the dorsal receptive field is sensitive to the motion of small targets and the ventral receptive field responds to larger objects or wide-field stimuli. Our data suggest that the two receptive fields have different presynaptic input, where the inputs are not linearly summed. This novel and unique arrangement could support different behaviors, including obstacle avoidance, flower landing, and target pursuit or capture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Nicholas
- Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, Flinders University, Adelaide 5001, Australia
| | - Yuri Ogawa
- Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, Flinders University, Adelaide 5001, Australia
| | - Karin Nordström
- Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, Flinders University, Adelaide 5001, Australia
- Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, 75123 Uppsala, Sweden
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7
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Currier TA, Pang MM, Clandinin TR. Visual processing in the fly, from photoreceptors to behavior. Genetics 2023; 224:iyad064. [PMID: 37128740 PMCID: PMC10213501 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Originally a genetic model organism, the experimental use of Drosophila melanogaster has grown to include quantitative behavioral analyses, sophisticated perturbations of neuronal function, and detailed sensory physiology. A highlight of these developments can be seen in the context of vision, where pioneering studies have uncovered fundamental and generalizable principles of sensory processing. Here we begin with an overview of vision-guided behaviors and common methods for probing visual circuits. We then outline the anatomy and physiology of brain regions involved in visual processing, beginning at the sensory periphery and ending with descending motor control. Areas of focus include contrast and motion detection in the optic lobe, circuits for visual feature selectivity, computations in support of spatial navigation, and contextual associative learning. Finally, we look to the future of fly visual neuroscience and discuss promising topics for further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy A Currier
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Michelle M Pang
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Thomas R Clandinin
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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8
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Dombrovski M, Peek MY, Park JY, Vaccari A, Sumathipala M, Morrow C, Breads P, Zhao A, Kurmangaliyev YZ, Sanfilippo P, Rehan A, Polsky J, Alghailani S, Tenshaw E, Namiki S, Zipursky SL, Card GM. Synaptic gradients transform object location to action. Nature 2023; 613:534-542. [PMID: 36599984 PMCID: PMC9849133 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05562-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
To survive, animals must convert sensory information into appropriate behaviours1,2. Vision is a common sense for locating ethologically relevant stimuli and guiding motor responses3-5. How circuitry converts object location in retinal coordinates to movement direction in body coordinates remains largely unknown. Here we show through behaviour, physiology, anatomy and connectomics in Drosophila that visuomotor transformation occurs by conversion of topographic maps formed by the dendrites of feature-detecting visual projection neurons (VPNs)6,7 into synaptic weight gradients of VPN outputs onto central brain neurons. We demonstrate how this gradient motif transforms the anteroposterior location of a visual looming stimulus into the fly's directional escape. Specifically, we discover that two neurons postsynaptic to a looming-responsive VPN type promote opposite takeoff directions. Opposite synaptic weight gradients onto these neurons from looming VPNs in different visual field regions convert localized looming threats into correctly oriented escapes. For a second looming-responsive VPN type, we demonstrate graded responses along the dorsoventral axis. We show that this synaptic gradient motif generalizes across all 20 primary VPN cell types and most often arises without VPN axon topography. Synaptic gradients may thus be a general mechanism for conveying spatial features of sensory information into directed motor outputs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Dombrovski
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Martin Y Peek
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Jin-Yong Park
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Andrea Vaccari
- Department of Computer Science, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT, USA
| | | | - Carmen Morrow
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Patrick Breads
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Arthur Zhao
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Yerbol Z Kurmangaliyev
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Piero Sanfilippo
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Aadil Rehan
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jason Polsky
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Shada Alghailani
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Emily Tenshaw
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Shigehiro Namiki
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA.,Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - S Lawrence Zipursky
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Gwyneth M Card
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA. .,Department of Neuroscience, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
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9
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Karigo T, Deutsch D. Flexibility of neural circuits regulating mating behaviors in mice and flies. Front Neural Circuits 2022; 16:949781. [PMID: 36426135 PMCID: PMC9679785 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2022.949781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Mating is essential for the reproduction of animal species. As mating behaviors are high-risk and energy-consuming processes, it is critical for animals to make adaptive mating decisions. This includes not only finding a suitable mate, but also adapting mating behaviors to the animal's needs and environmental conditions. Internal needs include physical states (e.g., hunger) and emotional states (e.g., fear), while external conditions include both social cues (e.g., the existence of predators or rivals) and non-social factors (e.g., food availability). With recent advances in behavioral neuroscience, we are now beginning to understand the neural basis of mating behaviors, particularly in genetic model organisms such as mice and flies. However, how internal and external factors are integrated by the nervous system to enable adaptive mating-related decision-making in a state- and context-dependent manner is less well understood. In this article, we review recent knowledge regarding the neural basis of flexible mating behaviors from studies of flies and mice. By contrasting the knowledge derived from these two evolutionarily distant model organisms, we discuss potential conserved and divergent neural mechanisms involved in the control of flexible mating behaviors in invertebrate and vertebrate brains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomomi Karigo
- Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States,The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States,*Correspondence: Tomomi Karigo,
| | - David Deutsch
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel,David Deutsch,
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10
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Kappel JM, Förster D, Slangewal K, Shainer I, Svara F, Donovan JC, Sherman S, Januszewski M, Baier H, Larsch J. Visual recognition of social signals by a tectothalamic neural circuit. Nature 2022; 608:146-152. [PMID: 35831500 PMCID: PMC9352588 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04925-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Social affiliation emerges from individual-level behavioural rules that are driven by conspecific signals1-5. Long-distance attraction and short-distance repulsion, for example, are rules that jointly set a preferred interanimal distance in swarms6-8. However, little is known about their perceptual mechanisms and executive neural circuits3. Here we trace the neuronal response to self-like biological motion9,10, a visual trigger for affiliation in developing zebrafish2,11. Unbiased activity mapping and targeted volumetric two-photon calcium imaging revealed 21 activity hotspots distributed throughout the brain as well as clustered biological-motion-tuned neurons in a multimodal, socially activated nucleus of the dorsal thalamus. Individual dorsal thalamus neurons encode local acceleration of visual stimuli mimicking typical fish kinetics but are insensitive to global or continuous motion. Electron microscopic reconstruction of dorsal thalamus neurons revealed synaptic input from the optic tectum and projections into hypothalamic areas with conserved social function12-14. Ablation of the optic tectum or dorsal thalamus selectively disrupted social attraction without affecting short-distance repulsion. This tectothalamic pathway thus serves visual recognition of conspecifics, and dissociates neuronal control of attraction from repulsion during social affiliation, revealing a circuit underpinning collective behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes M Kappel
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence (formerly Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology), Planegg, Germany
| | - Dominique Förster
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence (formerly Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology), Planegg, Germany
| | - Katja Slangewal
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence (formerly Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology), Planegg, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Inbal Shainer
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence (formerly Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology), Planegg, Germany
| | - Fabian Svara
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence (formerly Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology), Planegg, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior - caesar, Bonn, Germany
| | - Joseph C Donovan
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence (formerly Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology), Planegg, Germany
| | - Shachar Sherman
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence (formerly Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology), Planegg, Germany
| | | | - Herwig Baier
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence (formerly Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology), Planegg, Germany.
| | - Johannes Larsch
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence (formerly Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology), Planegg, Germany.
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11
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Selection levels on vocal individuality: strategic use or byproduct. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2022.101140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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12
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Keesey IW. Sensory neuroecology and multimodal evolution across the genus Drosophila. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.932344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The neural basis and genetic mechanisms for sensory evolution are increasingly being explored in depth across many closely related members of the Drosophila genus. This has, in part, been achieved due to the immense efforts toward adapting gene-editing technologies for additional, non-model species. Studies targeting both peripheral sensory variations, as well as interspecies divergence in coding or neural connectivity, have generated numerous, tangible examples of how and where the evolution of sensory-driven animal behavior has occurred. Here, we review and discuss studies that each aim to identify the neurobiological and genetic components of sensory system evolution to provide a comparative overview of the types of functional variations observed across both perceptual input and behavioral output. In addition, we examined the roles neuroecology and neuroevolution play in speciation events, such as courtship and intraspecies communication, as well as those aspects related to behavioral divergence in host navigation or egg-laying preferences. Through the investigation of comparative, large-scale trends and correlations across diverse, yet closely related species within this highly ecologically variable genus of flies, we can begin to describe the underlying pressures, mechanisms, and constraints that have guided sensory and nervous system evolution within the natural environments of these organisms.
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13
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Ryu L, Kim SY, Kim AJ. From Photons to Behaviors: Neural Implementations of Visual Behaviors in Drosophila. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:883640. [PMID: 35600623 PMCID: PMC9115102 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.883640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Neural implementations of visual behaviors in Drosophila have been dissected intensively in the past couple of decades. The availability of premiere genetic toolkits, behavioral assays in tethered or freely moving conditions, and advances in connectomics have permitted the understanding of the physiological and anatomical details of the nervous system underlying complex visual behaviors. In this review, we describe recent advances on how various features of a visual scene are detected by the Drosophila visual system and how the neural circuits process these signals and elicit an appropriate behavioral response. Special emphasis was laid on the neural circuits that detect visual features such as brightness, color, local motion, optic flow, and translating or approaching visual objects, which would be important for behaviors such as phototaxis, optomotor response, attraction (or aversion) to moving objects, navigation, and visual learning. This review offers an integrative framework for how the fly brain detects visual features and orchestrates an appropriate behavioral response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leesun Ryu
- Department of Electronic Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Sung Yong Kim
- Department of Electronic Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Anmo J. Kim
- Department of Electronic Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea
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14
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Ning J, Li Z, Zhang X, Wang J, Chen D, Liu Q, Sun Y. Behavioral signatures of structured feature detection during courtship in Drosophila. Curr Biol 2022; 32:1211-1231.e7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.01.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2021] [Revised: 11/27/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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15
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Steinfath E, Palacios-Muñoz A, Rottschäfer JR, Yuezak D, Clemens J. Fast and accurate annotation of acoustic signals with deep neural networks. eLife 2021; 10:e68837. [PMID: 34723794 PMCID: PMC8560090 DOI: 10.7554/elife.68837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Acoustic signals serve communication within and across species throughout the animal kingdom. Studying the genetics, evolution, and neurobiology of acoustic communication requires annotating acoustic signals: segmenting and identifying individual acoustic elements like syllables or sound pulses. To be useful, annotations need to be accurate, robust to noise, and fast. We here introduce DeepAudioSegmenter (DAS), a method that annotates acoustic signals across species based on a deep-learning derived hierarchical presentation of sound. We demonstrate the accuracy, robustness, and speed of DAS using acoustic signals with diverse characteristics from insects, birds, and mammals. DAS comes with a graphical user interface for annotating song, training the network, and for generating and proofreading annotations. The method can be trained to annotate signals from new species with little manual annotation and can be combined with unsupervised methods to discover novel signal types. DAS annotates song with high throughput and low latency for experimental interventions in realtime. Overall, DAS is a universal, versatile, and accessible tool for annotating acoustic communication signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elsa Steinfath
- European Neuroscience Institute - A Joint Initiative of the University Medical Center Göttingen and the Max-Planck-SocietyGöttingenGermany
- International Max Planck Research School and Göttingen Graduate School for Neurosciences, Biophysics, and Molecular Biosciences (GGNB) at the University of GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| | - Adrian Palacios-Muñoz
- European Neuroscience Institute - A Joint Initiative of the University Medical Center Göttingen and the Max-Planck-SocietyGöttingenGermany
- International Max Planck Research School and Göttingen Graduate School for Neurosciences, Biophysics, and Molecular Biosciences (GGNB) at the University of GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| | - Julian R Rottschäfer
- European Neuroscience Institute - A Joint Initiative of the University Medical Center Göttingen and the Max-Planck-SocietyGöttingenGermany
- International Max Planck Research School and Göttingen Graduate School for Neurosciences, Biophysics, and Molecular Biosciences (GGNB) at the University of GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| | - Deniz Yuezak
- European Neuroscience Institute - A Joint Initiative of the University Medical Center Göttingen and the Max-Planck-SocietyGöttingenGermany
- International Max Planck Research School and Göttingen Graduate School for Neurosciences, Biophysics, and Molecular Biosciences (GGNB) at the University of GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| | - Jan Clemens
- European Neuroscience Institute - A Joint Initiative of the University Medical Center Göttingen and the Max-Planck-SocietyGöttingenGermany
- Bernstein Center for Computational NeuroscienceGöttingenGermany
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16
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Ishimoto H, Kamikouchi A. Molecular and neural mechanisms regulating sexual motivation of virgin female Drosophila. Cell Mol Life Sci 2021; 78:4805-4819. [PMID: 33837450 PMCID: PMC11071752 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-021-03820-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2020] [Revised: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
During courtship, multiple information sources are integrated in the brain to reach a final decision, i.e., whether or not to mate. The brain functions for this complex behavior can be investigated by genetically manipulating genes and neurons, and performing anatomical, physiological, and behavioral analyses. Drosophila is a powerful model experimental system for such studies, which need to be integrated from molecular and cellular levels to the behavioral level, and has enabled pioneering research to be conducted. In male flies, which exhibit a variety of characteristic sexual behaviors, we have accumulated knowledge of many genes and neural circuits that control sexual behaviors. On the other hand, despite the importance of the mechanisms of mating decision-making in females from an evolutionary perspective (such as sexual selection), research on the mechanisms that control sexual behavior in females has progressed somewhat slower. In this review, we focus on the pre-mating behavior of female Drosophila melanogaster, and introduce previous key findings on the neuronal and molecular mechanisms that integrate sensory information and selective expression of behaviors toward the courting male.
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Grants
- JP20H03355 Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
- JP20H04997 Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
- 19H04933 Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
- 17K19450 Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
- 15K07147 Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
- 18K06332 Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
- Naito Foundation
- Inamori Foundation
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroshi Ishimoto
- Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8602, Japan.
| | - Azusa Kamikouchi
- Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8602, Japan.
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17
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Pacheco DA, Thiberge SY, Pnevmatikakis E, Murthy M. Auditory activity is diverse and widespread throughout the central brain of Drosophila. Nat Neurosci 2021; 24:93-104. [PMID: 33230320 PMCID: PMC7783861 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-020-00743-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2019] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Sensory pathways are typically studied by starting at receptor neurons and following postsynaptic neurons into the brain. However, this leads to a bias in analyses of activity toward the earliest layers of processing. Here, we present new methods for volumetric neural imaging with precise across-brain registration to characterize auditory activity throughout the entire central brain of Drosophila and make comparisons across trials, individuals and sexes. We discover that auditory activity is present in most central brain regions and in neurons responsive to other modalities. Auditory responses are temporally diverse, but the majority of activity is tuned to courtship song features. Auditory responses are stereotyped across trials and animals in early mechanosensory regions, becoming more variable at higher layers of the putative pathway, and this variability is largely independent of ongoing movements. This study highlights the power of using an unbiased, brain-wide approach for mapping the functional organization of sensory activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego A Pacheco
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Stephan Y Thiberge
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Bezos Center for Neural Circuit Dynamics, Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Eftychios Pnevmatikakis
- Center for Computational Mathematics, Flatiron Institute, Simons Foundation, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mala Murthy
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
- Bezos Center for Neural Circuit Dynamics, Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
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18
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Cheong HS, Siwanowicz I, Card GM. Multi-regional circuits underlying visually guided decision-making in Drosophila. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2020; 65:77-87. [PMID: 33217639 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2020.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Revised: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Visually guided decision-making requires integration of information from distributed brain areas, necessitating a brain-wide approach to examine its neural mechanisms. New tools in Drosophila melanogaster enable circuits spanning the brain to be charted with single cell-type resolution. Here, we highlight recent advances uncovering the computations and circuits that transform and integrate visual information across the brain to make behavioral choices. Visual information flows from the optic lobes to three primary central brain regions: a sensorimotor mapping area and two 'higher' centers for memory or spatial orientation. Rapid decision-making during predator evasion emerges from the spike timing dynamics in parallel sensorimotor cascades. Goal-directed decisions may occur through memory, navigation and valence processing in the central complex and mushroom bodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Sj Cheong
- HHMI Janelia Research Campus, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147, United States
| | - Igor Siwanowicz
- HHMI Janelia Research Campus, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147, United States
| | - Gwyneth M Card
- HHMI Janelia Research Campus, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147, United States.
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19
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Bidaye SS, Laturney M, Chang AK, Liu Y, Bockemühl T, Büschges A, Scott K. Two Brain Pathways Initiate Distinct Forward Walking Programs in Drosophila. Neuron 2020; 108:469-485.e8. [PMID: 32822613 PMCID: PMC9435592 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.07.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2020] [Revised: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
An animal at rest or engaged in stationary behaviors can instantaneously initiate goal-directed walking. How descending brain inputs trigger rapid transitions from a non-walking state to an appropriate walking state is unclear. Here, we identify two neuronal types, P9 and BPN, in the Drosophila brain that, upon activation, initiate and maintain two distinct coordinated walking patterns. P9 drives forward walking with ipsilateral turning, receives inputs from central courtship-promoting neurons and visual projection neurons, and is necessary for a male to pursue a female during courtship. In contrast, BPN drives straight, forward walking and is not required during courtship. BPN is instead recruited during and required for fast, straight, forward walking bouts. Thus, this study reveals separate brain pathways for object-directed walking and fast, straight, forward walking, providing insight into how the brain initiates context-appropriate walking programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salil S Bidaye
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| | - Meghan Laturney
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Amy K Chang
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Yuejiang Liu
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Till Bockemühl
- Department of Animal Physiology, Institute of Zoology, University of Cologne, 50674 Cologne, Germany
| | - Ansgar Büschges
- Department of Animal Physiology, Institute of Zoology, University of Cologne, 50674 Cologne, Germany
| | - Kristin Scott
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
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20
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Mezzera C, Brotas M, Gaspar M, Pavlou HJ, Goodwin SF, Vasconcelos ML. Ovipositor Extrusion Promotes the Transition from Courtship to Copulation and Signals Female Acceptance in Drosophila melanogaster. Curr Biol 2020; 30:3736-3748.e5. [PMID: 32795437 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.06.071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Revised: 05/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Communication between male and female fruit flies during courtship is essential for successful mating, but, as with many other species, it is the female who decides whether to mate. Here, we show a novel role for ovipositor extrusion in promoting male copulation attempts in virgin and mated females and signaling acceptance in virgins. We first show that ovipositor extrusion is only displayed by sexually mature females, exclusively during courtship and in response to the male song. We identified a pair of descending neurons that controls ovipositor extrusion in mated females. Genetic silencing of the descending neurons shows that ovipositor extrusion stimulates the male to attempt copulation. A detailed behavioral analysis revealed that during courtship, the male repeatedly licks the female genitalia, independently of ovipositor extrusion, and that licking an extruded ovipositor prompts a copulation attempt. However, if the ovipositor is not subsequently retracted, copulation is prevented, as it happens with mated females. In this study, we reveal a dual function of the ovipositor: while its extrusion is necessary for initiating copulation by the male, its retraction signals female acceptance. We thus uncover the significance of the communication between male and female that initiates the transition from courtship to copulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Mezzera
- Champalimaud Center for the Unknown, Lisbon 1400-038, Portugal
| | | | - Miguel Gaspar
- Champalimaud Center for the Unknown, Lisbon 1400-038, Portugal
| | - Hania J Pavlou
- Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SR, UK
| | - Stephen F Goodwin
- Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SR, UK
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21
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Klibaite U, Shaevitz JW. Paired fruit flies synchronize behavior: Uncovering social interactions in Drosophila melanogaster. PLoS Comput Biol 2020; 16:e1008230. [PMID: 33021989 PMCID: PMC7567355 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Revised: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 08/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Social behaviors are ubiquitous and crucial to an animal's survival and success. The behaviors an animal performs in a social setting are affected by internal factors, inputs from the environment, and interactions with others. To quantify social behaviors, we need to measure both the stochastic nature of the behavior of isolated individuals and how this behavioral repertoire changes as a function of the environment and interactions between individuals. We probed the behavior of male and female fruit flies in a circular arena as individuals and within all possible pairings. By combining measurements of the animals' position in the arena with an unsupervised analysis of their behaviors, we define the effects of position in the environment and the presence of a partner on locomotion, grooming, singing, and other behaviors that make up an animal's repertoire. We find that geometric context tunes behavioral preference, pairs of animals synchronize their behavioral preferences across shared trials, and paired individuals display signatures of behavioral mimicry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ugne Klibaite
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Joshua W Shaevitz
- Department of Physics, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
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22
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Abstract
Music comprises a diverse category of cognitive phenomena that likely represent both the effects of psychological adaptations that are specific to music (e.g., rhythmic entrainment) and the effects of adaptations for non-musical functions (e.g., auditory scene analysis). How did music evolve? Here, we show that prevailing views on the evolution of music - that music is a byproduct of other evolved faculties, evolved for social bonding, or evolved to signal mate quality - are incomplete or wrong. We argue instead that music evolved as a credible signal in at least two contexts: coalitional interactions and infant care. Specifically, we propose that (1) the production and reception of coordinated, entrained rhythmic displays is a co-evolved system for credibly signaling coalition strength, size, and coordination ability; and (2) the production and reception of infant-directed song is a co-evolved system for credibly signaling parental attention to secondarily altricial infants. These proposals, supported by interdisciplinary evidence, suggest that basic features of music, such as melody and rhythm, result from adaptations in the proper domain of human music. The adaptations provide a foundation for the cultural evolution of music in its actual domain, yielding the diversity of musical forms and musical behaviors found worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel A Mehr
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138, ; https://; https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/epl
- Data Science Initiative, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
- School of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington6012, New Zealand
| | - Max M Krasnow
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138, ; https://; https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/epl
| | - Gregory A Bryant
- Department of Communication, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA90095, ; https://gabryant.bol.ucla.edu
- Center for Behavior, Evolution, & Culture, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA90095
| | - Edward H Hagen
- Department of Anthropology, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA98686, USA. ; https://anthro.vancouver.wsu.edu/people/hagen
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23
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Tanaka R, Clark DA. Object-Displacement-Sensitive Visual Neurons Drive Freezing in Drosophila. Curr Biol 2020; 30:2532-2550.e8. [PMID: 32442466 PMCID: PMC8716191 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.04.068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Revised: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 04/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Visual systems are often equipped with neurons that detect small moving objects, which may represent prey, predators, or conspecifics. Although the processing properties of those neurons have been studied in diverse organisms, links between the proposed algorithms and animal behaviors or circuit mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we have investigated behavioral function, computational algorithm, and neurochemical mechanisms of an object-selective neuron, LC11, in Drosophila. With genetic silencing and optogenetic activation, we show that LC11 is necessary for a visual object-induced stopping behavior in walking flies, a form of short-term freezing, and its activity can promote stopping. We propose a new quantitative model for small object selectivity based on the physiology and anatomy of LC11 and its inputs. The model accurately reproduces LC11 responses by pooling fast-adapting, tightly size-tuned inputs. Direct visualization of neurotransmitter inputs to LC11 confirmed the model conjectures about upstream processing. Our results demonstrate how adaptation can enhance selectivity for behaviorally relevant, dynamic visual features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryosuke Tanaka
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Damon A Clark
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
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24
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Ishii K, Wohl M, DeSouza A, Asahina K. Sex-determining genes distinctly regulate courtship capability and target preference via sexually dimorphic neurons. eLife 2020; 9:e52701. [PMID: 32314964 PMCID: PMC7173972 DOI: 10.7554/elife.52701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2019] [Accepted: 04/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
For successful mating, a male animal must execute effective courtship behaviors toward a receptive target sex, which is female. Whether the courtship execution capability and upregulation of courtship toward females are specified through separable sex-determining genetic pathways remains uncharacterized. Here, we found that one of the two Drosophila sex-determining genes, doublesex (dsx), specifies a male-specific neuronal component that serves as an execution mechanism for courtship behavior, whereas fruitless (fru) is required for enhancement of courtship behavior toward females. The dsx-dependent courtship execution mechanism includes a specific subclass within a neuronal cluster that co-express dsx and fru. This cluster contains at least another subclass that is specified cooperatively by both dsx and fru. Although these neuronal populations can also promote aggressive behavior toward male flies, this capacity requires fru-dependent mechanisms. Our results uncover how sex-determining genes specify execution capability and female-specific enhancement of courtship behavior through separable yet cooperative neurogenetic mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenichi Ishii
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological StudiesLa JollaUnited States
| | - Margot Wohl
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological StudiesLa JollaUnited States
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, San DiegoSan DiegoUnited States
| | - Andre DeSouza
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological StudiesLa JollaUnited States
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, San DiegoSan DiegoUnited States
| | - Kenta Asahina
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological StudiesLa JollaUnited States
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, San DiegoSan DiegoUnited States
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25
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Warren MR, Clein RS, Spurrier MS, Roth ED, Neunuebel JP. Ultrashort-range, high-frequency communication by female mice shapes social interactions. Sci Rep 2020; 10:2637. [PMID: 32060312 PMCID: PMC7021676 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-59418-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals engage in complex social encounters that influence social groups and resource allocation. During these encounters, acoustic signals, used at both short and long ranges, play pivotal roles in regulating the behavior of conspecifics. Mice, for instance, emit ultrasonic vocalizations, signals above the range of human hearing, during close-range social interactions. How these signals shape behavior, however, is unknown due to the difficulty in discerning which mouse in a group is vocalizing. To overcome this impediment, we used an eight-channel microphone array system to determine which mouse emitted individual vocal signals during 30 minutes of unrestrained social interaction between a female and a single male or female conspecific. Females modulated both the timing and context of vocal emission based upon their social partner. Compared to opposite-sex pairings, females in same-sex pairs vocalized when closer to a social partner and later in the 30 minutes of social engagement. Remarkably, we found that female mice exhibited no immediate changes in acceleration (movement) to male-emitted vocal signals. Both males and females, in contrast, modulated their behavior following female-emitted vocal signals in a context-dependent manner. Thus, our results suggest female vocal signals function as a means of ultrashort-range communication that shapes mouse social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- M R Warren
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - R S Clein
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - M S Spurrier
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - E D Roth
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - J P Neunuebel
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA.
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26
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Calhoun AJ, Pillow JW, Murthy M. Unsupervised identification of the internal states that shape natural behavior. Nat Neurosci 2019; 22:2040-2049. [PMID: 31768056 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-019-0533-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 10/07/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Internal states shape stimulus responses and decision-making, but we lack methods to identify them. To address this gap, we developed an unsupervised method to identify internal states from behavioral data and applied it to a dynamic social interaction. During courtship, Drosophila melanogaster males pattern their songs using feedback cues from their partner. Our model uncovers three latent states underlying this behavior and is able to predict moment-to-moment variation in song-patterning decisions. These states correspond to different sensorimotor strategies, each of which is characterized by different mappings from feedback cues to song modes. We show that a pair of neurons previously thought to be command neurons for song production are sufficient to drive switching between states. Our results reveal how animals compose behavior from previously unidentified internal states, which is a necessary step for quantitative descriptions of animal behavior that link environmental cues, internal needs, neuronal activity and motor outputs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J Calhoun
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Jonathan W Pillow
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Mala Murthy
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
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27
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Deutsch D, Clemens J, Thiberge SY, Guan G, Murthy M. Shared Song Detector Neurons in Drosophila Male and Female Brains Drive Sex-Specific Behaviors. Curr Biol 2019; 29:3200-3215.e5. [PMID: 31564492 PMCID: PMC6885007 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Revised: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 08/02/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Males and females often produce distinct responses to the same sensory stimuli. How such differences arise-at the level of sensory processing or in the circuits that generate behavior-remains largely unresolved across sensory modalities. We address this issue in the acoustic communication system of Drosophila. During courtship, males generate time-varying songs, and each sex responds with specific behaviors. We characterize male and female behavioral tuning for all aspects of song and show that feature tuning is similar between sexes, suggesting sex-shared song detectors drive divergent behaviors. We then identify higher-order neurons in the Drosophila brain, called pC2, that are tuned for multiple temporal aspects of one mode of the male's song and drive sex-specific behaviors. We thus uncover neurons that are specifically tuned to an acoustic communication signal and that reside at the sensory-motor interface, flexibly linking auditory perception with sex-specific behavioral responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Deutsch
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
| | - Jan Clemens
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA; European Neuroscience Institute Göttingen - A Joint Initiative of the University Medical Center Göttingen and the Max-Planck Society, Grisebachstrasse 5, Göttingen 37077, Germany
| | - Stephan Y Thiberge
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA; Bezos Center for Neural Circuit Dynamics, Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08540, USA
| | - Georgia Guan
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
| | - Mala Murthy
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA; Bezos Center for Neural Circuit Dynamics, Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08540, USA.
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28
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Rings A, Goodwin SF. To court or not to court - a multimodal sensory decision in Drosophila males. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2019; 35:48-53. [PMID: 31336357 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2019.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2019] [Revised: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/21/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
When Drosophila males encounter another fly, they have to make a rapid assessment to ensure the appropriate response: should they court, fight or pursue a different action entirely? Previous work has focused on the significance of sensory cues detected by the male during these encounters; however, recent evidence highlights the importance of the male's own internal state in shaping his responses. Additionally, once triggered, courtship is not a rigid sequence of motor actions, but rather a finely tuned behavioural display that must continually update in response to sensory feedback. Here, we review recent findings highlighting how sensory information and internal states are integrated ensuring appropriate action selection, and how they sustain and fine-tune motor output. We further discuss recent advances in our understanding of species differences in sensory processing that may contribute to reproductive isolation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annika Rings
- Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University of Oxford, Tinsley Building, Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3SR, UK.
| | - Stephen F Goodwin
- Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University of Oxford, Tinsley Building, Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3SR, UK
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29
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Liu MZ, Vosshall LB. General Visual and Contingent Thermal Cues Interact to Elicit Attraction in Female Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes. Curr Biol 2019; 29:2250-2257.e4. [PMID: 31257144 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2019] [Revised: 04/29/2019] [Accepted: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes use multiple sensory modalities to hunt human hosts and obtain a blood meal for egg production. Attractive cues include carbon dioxide (CO2), a major component of exhaled breath [1, 2]; heat elevated above ambient temperature, signifying warm-blooded skin [3, 4]; and dark visual contrast [5, 6], proposed to bridge long-range olfactory and short-range thermal cues [7]. Any of these sensory cues in isolation is an incomplete signal of a human host, and so a mosquito must integrate multimodal sensory information before committing to approaching and biting a person [8]. Here, we study the interaction of visual cues, heat, and CO2 to investigate the contributions of human-associated stimuli to host-seeking decisions. We show that tethered flying mosquitoes strongly orient toward dark visual contrast, regardless of CO2 stimulation and internal host-seeking status. This suggests that attraction to visual contrast is general and not contingent on other host cues. In free-flight experiments with CO2, adding a dark contrasting visual cue to a warmed surface enhanced attraction. Moderate warmth became more attractive to mosquitoes, and mosquitoes aggregated on the cue at all non-noxious temperatures. Gr3 mutants, unable to detect CO2, were lured to the visual cue at ambient temperatures but fled and did not return when the surface was warmed to host-like temperatures. This suggests that attraction to thermal cues is contingent on the presence of the additional sensory cue CO2. Our results illustrate that mosquitoes integrate general attractive visual stimuli with context-dependent thermal stimuli to seek promising sites for blood feeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Molly Z Liu
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Leslie B Vosshall
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York, NY 10065, USA; Kavli Neural Systems Institute, New York, NY 10065, USA.
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30
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Ache JM, Namiki S, Lee A, Branson K, Card GM. State-dependent decoupling of sensory and motor circuits underlies behavioral flexibility in Drosophila. Nat Neurosci 2019; 22:1132-1139. [PMID: 31182867 PMCID: PMC7444277 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-019-0413-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2018] [Accepted: 04/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
An approaching predator and self-motion towards an object can generate similar looming patterns on the retina, but these situations demand different rapid responses. How central circuits flexibly process visual cues to activate appropriate, fast motor pathways remains unclear. Here, we identify two descending neuron (DN) types that control landing and contribute to visuomotor flexibility in Drosophila. For each, silencing impairs visually-evoked landing, activation drives landing, and spike rate determines leg extension amplitude. Critically, visual responses of both DNs are severely attenuated during non-flight periods, effectively decoupling visual stimuli from the landing motor pathway when landing is inappropriate. The flight-dependence mechanism differs between DN types. Octopamine exposure mimics flight effects in one, whereas the other likely receives neuronal feedback from flight motor circuits. Thus, this sensorimotor flexibility arises from distinct mechanisms for gating action-specific descending pathways, such that sensory and motor networks are coupled or decoupled according to the behavioral state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan M Ache
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, Virginia, USA
| | - Shigehiro Namiki
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, Virginia, USA.,Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Allen Lee
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, Virginia, USA.,Leap Scientific LLC, Hooksett, NH, USA
| | - Kristin Branson
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, Virginia, USA
| | - Gwyneth M Card
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, Virginia, USA.
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31
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Glaser JI, Benjamin AS, Farhoodi R, Kording KP. The roles of supervised machine learning in systems neuroscience. Prog Neurobiol 2019; 175:126-137. [PMID: 30738835 PMCID: PMC8454059 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2019.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2018] [Revised: 01/23/2019] [Accepted: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Over the last several years, the use of machine learning (ML) in neuroscience has been rapidly increasing. Here, we review ML's contributions, both realized and potential, across several areas of systems neuroscience. We describe four primary roles of ML within neuroscience: (1) creating solutions to engineering problems, (2) identifying predictive variables, (3) setting benchmarks for simple models of the brain, and (4) serving itself as a model for the brain. The breadth and ease of its applicability suggests that machine learning should be in the toolbox of most systems neuroscientists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua I Glaser
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, United States.
| | - Ari S Benjamin
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, United States.
| | - Roozbeh Farhoodi
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, United States.
| | - Konrad P Kording
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, United States; Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, United States; Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Canada.
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32
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Neural Evolution of Context-Dependent Fly Song. Curr Biol 2019; 29:1089-1099.e7. [PMID: 30880014 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.02.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2018] [Revised: 12/21/2018] [Accepted: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
It is unclear where in the nervous system evolutionary changes tend to occur. To localize the source of neural evolution that has generated divergent behaviors, we developed a new approach to label and functionally manipulate homologous neurons across Drosophila species. We examined homologous descending neurons that drive courtship song in two species that sing divergent song types and localized relevant evolutionary changes in circuit function downstream of the intrinsic physiology of these descending neurons. This evolutionary change causes different species to produce divergent motor patterns in similar social contexts. Artificial stimulation of these descending neurons drives multiple song types, suggesting that multifunctional properties of song circuits may facilitate rapid evolution of song types.
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33
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Baker CA, Clemens J, Murthy M. Acoustic Pattern Recognition and Courtship Songs: Insights from Insects. Annu Rev Neurosci 2019; 42:129-147. [PMID: 30786225 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-neuro-080317-061839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Across the animal kingdom, social interactions rely on sound production and perception. From simple cricket chirps to more elaborate bird songs, animals go to great lengths to communicate information critical for reproduction and survival via acoustic signals. Insects produce a wide array of songs to attract a mate, and the intended receivers must differentiate these calls from competing sounds, analyze the quality of the sender from spectrotemporal signal properties, and then determine how to react. Insects use numerically simple nervous systems to analyze and respond to courtship songs, making them ideal model systems for uncovering the neural mechanisms underlying acoustic pattern recognition. We highlight here how the combination of behavioral studies and neural recordings in three groups of insects-crickets, grasshoppers, and fruit flies-reveals common strategies for extracting ethologically relevant information from acoustic patterns and how these findings might translate to other systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christa A Baker
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA;
| | - Jan Clemens
- University Medical Center Goettingen, Max-Planck-Society, European Neuroscience Institute, D-37077 Goettingen, Germany;
| | - Mala Murthy
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA;
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34
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Abstract
Sexually reproducing animals display sex differences in behavior. Although many of these sex differences in behavior are acquired with experience, sexually dimorphic behaviors such as mating and aggression are innate in the sense that they can be displayed without prior training or experience. In this review, we present recent advances in our understanding of the neural control of such innate sexually dimorphic social behaviors, with a focus on sexual behavior and aggression in flies and mice. We provide a brief overview of fundamental processes that regulate sexual differentiation in these animals to provide a framework within which more recent advances can be understood. We discuss advances in sensory, neuromodulatory, neural circuit, and experiential regulation of sexually dimorphic social behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Nirao M. Shah
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
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35
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Duistermars BJ, Pfeiffer BD, Hoopfer ED, Anderson DJ. A Brain Module for Scalable Control of Complex, Multi-motor Threat Displays. Neuron 2018; 100:1474-1490.e4. [PMID: 30415997 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.10.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2018] [Revised: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 10/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Threat displays are a universal feature of agonistic interactions. Whether threats are part of a continuum of aggressive behaviors or separately controlled remains unclear. We analyze threats in Drosophila and show they are triggered by male cues and visual motion, and comprised of multiple motor elements that can be flexibly combined. We isolate a cluster of ∼3 neurons whose activity is necessary for threat displays but not for other aggressive behaviors, and whose artificial activation suffices to evoke naturalistic threats in solitary flies, suggesting that the neural control of threats is modular with respect to other aggressive behaviors. Artificially evoked threats suffice to repel opponents from a resource in the absence of contact aggression. Depending on its level of artificial activation, this neural threat module can evoke different motor elements in a threshold-dependent manner. Such scalable modules may represent fundamental "building blocks" of neural circuits that mediate complex multi-motor behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian J Duistermars
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering 156-29, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Barret D Pfeiffer
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Eric D Hoopfer
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering 156-29, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - David J Anderson
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering 156-29, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
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36
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Multifunctional Wing Motor Control of Song and Flight. Curr Biol 2018; 28:2705-2717.e4. [PMID: 30146152 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.06.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2018] [Revised: 06/06/2018] [Accepted: 06/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Multifunctional motor systems produce distinct output patterns that are dependent on behavioral context, posing a challenge to underlying neuronal control. Flies use their wings for flight and the production of a patterned acoustic signal, the male courtship song, employing in both cases a small set of wing muscles and corresponding motor neurons. We took first steps toward elucidating the neuronal control mechanisms of this multifunctional motor system by live imaging of muscle ensemble activity patterns during song and flight, and we established the functional role of a comprehensive set of wing muscle motor neurons by silencing experiments. Song and flight rely on distinct configurations of neuromuscular activity, with most, but not all, flight muscles and their corresponding motor neurons contributing to song and shaping its acoustic parameters. The two behaviors are exclusive, and the neuronal command for flight overrides the command for song. The neuromodulator octopamine is a candidate for selectively stabilizing flight, but not song motor patterns.
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37
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Abstract
Animals rely on sensory cues to help them find suitable mates. Visual cues are particularly useful for locating mates during the day. A new study has revealed key visual neurons in male Drosophila used to identify and pursue potential mates.
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38
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Clemens J, Coen P, Roemschied FA, Pereira TD, Mazumder D, Aldarondo DE, Pacheco DA, Murthy M. Discovery of a New Song Mode in Drosophila Reveals Hidden Structure in the Sensory and Neural Drivers of Behavior. Curr Biol 2018; 28:2400-2412.e6. [PMID: 30057309 PMCID: PMC6830513 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2017] [Revised: 03/10/2018] [Accepted: 06/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Deciphering how brains generate behavior depends critically on an accurate description of behavior. If distinct behaviors are lumped together, separate modes of brain activity can be wrongly attributed to the same behavior. Alternatively, if a single behavior is split into two, the same neural activity can appear to produce different behaviors. Here, we address this issue in the context of acoustic communication in Drosophila. During courtship, males vibrate their wings to generate time-varying songs, and females evaluate songs to inform mating decisions. For 50 years, Drosophila melanogaster song was thought to consist of only two modes, sine and pulse, but using unsupervised classification methods on large datasets of song recordings, we now establish the existence of at least three song modes: two distinct pulse types, along with a single sine mode. We show how this seemingly subtle distinction affects our interpretation of the mechanisms underlying song production and perception. Specifically, we show that visual feedback influences the probability of producing each song mode and that male song mode choice affects female responses and contributes to modulating his song amplitude with distance. At the neural level, we demonstrate how the activity of four separate neuron types within the fly's song pathway differentially affects the probability of producing each song mode. Our results highlight the importance of carefully segmenting behavior to map the underlying sensory, neural, and genetic mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Clemens
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Philip Coen
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | | | - Talmo D Pereira
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - David Mazumder
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Diego E Aldarondo
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Diego A Pacheco
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Mala Murthy
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
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39
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Morley EL, Jonsson T, Robert D. Auditory sensitivity, spatial dynamics, and amplitude of courtship song in Drosophila melanogaster. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2018; 144:734. [PMID: 30180716 DOI: 10.1121/1.5049791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Acoustic communication is an important component of courtship in Drosophila melanogaster. It takes the form of courtship song produced by males through the unilateral extension and vibration of a wing. Following the paradigm of sender-receiver matching, song content is assumed to match tuning in the auditory system, however, D. melanogaster audition is nonlinear and tuning dependent upon signal amplitude. At low stimulus amplitudes or in the absence of sound the antenna is tuned into song frequency, but as amplitude increases the antenna's resonance is shifted up by hundreds of Hertz. Accurate measurements of song amplitude have been elusive because of the strong dependency of amplitude upon the spatial geometry between sender and receiver. Here, D. melanogaster auditory directional sensitivity and the geometric position between the courting flies are quantified. It is shown that singing occurs primarily from positions resulting in direct stimulation of the female antenna. Using this information, it is established that the majority of song is louder than theoretically predicted and at these sound levels the female antenna should not amplify or be tuned into song. The study implies that Drosophila hearing, and, in particular, its active mechanisms, could function in a broader context than previously surmised.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica L Morley
- School of Biological Sciences, Life Sciences Building, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom
| | - Thorin Jonsson
- School of Biological Sciences, Life Sciences Building, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel Robert
- School of Biological Sciences, Life Sciences Building, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom
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40
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Ribeiro IMA, Drews M, Bahl A, Machacek C, Borst A, Dickson BJ. Visual Projection Neurons Mediating Directed Courtship in Drosophila. Cell 2018; 174:607-621.e18. [PMID: 30033367 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.06.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2017] [Revised: 03/07/2018] [Accepted: 06/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Many animals rely on vision to detect, locate, and track moving objects. In Drosophila courtship, males primarily use visual cues to orient toward and follow females and to select the ipsilateral wing for courtship song. Here, we show that the LC10 visual projection neurons convey essential visual information during courtship. Males with LC10 neurons silenced are unable to orient toward or maintain proximity to the female and do not predominantly use the ipsilateral wing when singing. LC10 neurons preferentially respond to small moving objects using an antagonistic motion-based center-surround mechanism. Unilateral activation of LC10 neurons recapitulates the orienting and ipsilateral wing extension normally elicited by females, and the potency with which LC10 induces wing extension is enhanced in a state of courtship arousal controlled by male-specific P1 neurons. These data suggest that LC10 is a major pathway relaying visual input to the courtship circuits in the male brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inês M A Ribeiro
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA; Max Plank Institute of Neurobiology, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany; Institute of Molecular Pathology, Campus-Vienna-Biocenter 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Michael Drews
- Max Plank Institute of Neurobiology, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Armin Bahl
- Max Plank Institute of Neurobiology, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Christian Machacek
- Institute of Molecular Pathology, Campus-Vienna-Biocenter 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Alexander Borst
- Max Plank Institute of Neurobiology, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany.
| | - Barry J Dickson
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA; Institute of Molecular Pathology, Campus-Vienna-Biocenter 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria; Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
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41
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Deciphering Drosophila female innate behaviors. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2018; 52:139-148. [PMID: 29940518 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2018.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2018] [Accepted: 06/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Innate responses are often sexually dimorphic. Studies of female specific behaviors have remained niche, but the focus is changing as illustrated by the recent progress in understanding the female courtship responses and egg-laying decisions. In this review, we will cover our current knowledge about female behaviors in these two specific contexts. Recent studies elucidate on how females process the courtship song. They also show that egg-laying decisions are extremely complex, requiring the assessment of food, microbial, predator and social cues. Study of female responses will improve our understanding of how a nervous system processes different challenges.
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42
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Brüggemeier B, Porter MA, Vigoreaux JO, Goodwin SF. Female Drosophila melanogaster respond to song-amplitude modulations. Biol Open 2018; 7:bio032003. [PMID: 29666051 PMCID: PMC6031343 DOI: 10.1242/bio.032003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2017] [Accepted: 04/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Males in numerous animal species use mating songs to attract females and intimidate competitors. We demonstrate that modulations in song amplitude are behaviourally relevant in the fruit fly Drosophila We show that Drosophilamelanogaster females prefer amplitude modulations that are typical of melanogaster song over other modulations, which suggests that amplitude modulations are processed auditorily by D. melanogaster Our work demonstrates that receivers can decode messages in amplitude modulations, complementing the recent finding that male flies actively control song amplitude. To describe amplitude modulations, we propose the concept of song amplitude structure (SAS) and discuss similarities and differences to amplitude modulation with distance (AMD).This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birgit Brüggemeier
- Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SR, UK
- AudioLabs, Fraunhofer-Institut für Integrierte Schaltungen, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Mason A Porter
- Department of Mathematics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK
- CABDyN Complexity Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 1HP, UK
| | - Jim O Vigoreaux
- Department of Biology, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
| | - Stephen F Goodwin
- Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SR, UK
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43
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Chakravorty S, Tanner BCW, Foelber VL, Vu H, Rosenthal M, Ruiz T, Vigoreaux JO. Flightin maintains myofilament lattice organization required for optimal flight power and courtship song quality in Drosophila. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2017.0431. [PMID: 28469022 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2017] [Accepted: 04/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The indirect flight muscles (IFMs) of Drosophila and other insects with asynchronous flight muscles are characterized by a crystalline myofilament lattice structure. The high-order lattice regularity is considered an adaptation for enhanced power output, but supporting evidence for this claim is lacking. We show that IFMs from transgenic flies expressing flightin with a deletion of its poorly conserved N-terminal domain (flnΔN62 ) have reduced inter-thick filament spacing and a less regular lattice. This resulted in a decrease in flight ability by 33% and in skinned fibre oscillatory power output by 57%, but had no effect on wingbeat frequency or frequency of maximum power output, suggesting that the underlying actomyosin kinetics is not affected and that the flight impairment arises from deficits in force transmission. Moreover, we show that flnΔN62 males produced an abnormal courtship song characterized by a higher sine song frequency and a pulse song with longer pulses and longer inter-pulse intervals (IPIs), the latter implicated in male reproductive success. When presented with a choice, wild-type females chose control males over mutant males in 92% of the competition events. These results demonstrate that flightin N-terminal domain is required for optimal myofilament lattice regularity and IFM activity, enabling powered flight and courtship song production. As the courtship song is subject to female choice, we propose that the low amino acid sequence conservation of the N-terminal domain reflects its role in fine-tuning species-specific courtship songs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samya Chakravorty
- Department of Biology, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
| | - Bertrand C W Tanner
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
| | | | - Hien Vu
- Department of Biology, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
| | - Matthew Rosenthal
- Department of Biology, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
| | - Teresa Ruiz
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
| | - Jim O Vigoreaux
- Department of Biology, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA .,Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
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44
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Fast intensity adaptation enhances the encoding of sound in Drosophila. Nat Commun 2018; 9:134. [PMID: 29317624 PMCID: PMC5760620 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-02453-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2017] [Accepted: 12/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
To faithfully encode complex stimuli, sensory neurons should correct, via adaptation, for stimulus properties that corrupt pattern recognition. Here we investigate sound intensity adaptation in the Drosophila auditory system, which is largely devoted to processing courtship song. Mechanosensory neurons (JONs) in the antenna are sensitive not only to sound-induced antennal vibrations, but also to wind or gravity, which affect the antenna's mean position. Song pattern recognition, therefore, requires adaptation to antennal position (stimulus mean) in addition to sound intensity (stimulus variance). We discover fast variance adaptation in Drosophila JONs, which corrects for background noise over the behaviorally relevant intensity range. We determine where mean and variance adaptation arises and how they interact. A computational model explains our results using a sequence of subtractive and divisive adaptation modules, interleaved by rectification. These results lay the foundation for identifying the molecular and biophysical implementation of adaptation to the statistics of natural sensory stimuli.
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45
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Albert JT, Kozlov AS. Comparative Aspects of Hearing in Vertebrates and Insects with Antennal Ears. Curr Biol 2017; 26:R1050-R1061. [PMID: 27780047 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.09.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The evolution of hearing in terrestrial animals has resulted in remarkable adaptations enabling exquisitely sensitive sound detection by the ear and sophisticated sound analysis by the brain. In this review, we examine several such characteristics, using examples from insects and vertebrates. We focus on two strong and interdependent forces that have been shaping the auditory systems across taxa: the physical environment of auditory transducers on the small, subcellular scale, and the sensory-ecological environment within which hearing happens, on a larger, evolutionary scale. We briefly discuss acoustical feature selectivity and invariance in the central auditory system, highlighting a major difference between insects and vertebrates as well as a major similarity. Through such comparisons within a sensory ecological framework, we aim to emphasize general principles underlying acute sensitivity to airborne sounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joerg T Albert
- UCL Ear Institute, 332 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1X 8EE, UK.
| | - Andrei S Kozlov
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
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Ellendersen BE, von Philipsborn AC. Neuronal modulation of D. melanogaster sexual behaviour. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2017; 24:21-28. [PMID: 29208219 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2017.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2017] [Revised: 07/20/2017] [Accepted: 08/24/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Drosophila melanogaster sexual behaviour relies on well-studied genetically determined neuronal circuits. At the same time, it can be flexible and is modulated by multiple external and internal factors. This review focuses on how physiological state, behavioural context and social experience impact sexual circuits in the two sexes. We discuss how females tune receptivity and other behaviours depending on mating status and how males adjust courtship intensity based on sexual satiety, age and the conflicting drive for aggression. Neuronal mechanisms for behavioural modulation include changes in sensory and central processing. Activity of modulatory neurons can enhance, suppress or reverse the behavioural response to sensory cues. In summary, fly sexual behaviour is an excellent model to study mechanisms of neuromodulation of complex innate behaviour on the circuit level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bárður Eyjólfsson Ellendersen
- Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience (DANDRITE), Aarhus University, Ole Worms Alle 3, Building 1170, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Anne C von Philipsborn
- Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience (DANDRITE), Aarhus University, Ole Worms Alle 3, Building 1170, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
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Crickets alter wind-elicited escape strategies depending on acoustic context. Sci Rep 2017; 7:15158. [PMID: 29123249 PMCID: PMC5680309 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-15276-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2017] [Accepted: 10/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Acoustic signals trigger various behaviours in insects such as courtship or escape from predators. However, it remains unknown whether insects utilize acoustic signals to recognize environmental contexts. The cricket is a prominent model insect for neuroethological studies on acoustic behaviour because female crickets exhibit positive phonotaxis in response to male calling songs, and flying crickets display avoidance behaviour for high-frequency sounds such as echolocation call of bats. The carrier frequency of these sounds is a major factor in determining whether they initiate these acoustic behaviours. Here, we examined the impacts of different frequencies of tone sounds on cercal-mediated escape behaviour, using a 5-kHz tone corresponding to the calling song and a 15-kHz tone serving as a trigger of avoidance behaviours. Neither frequency elicited a response in the standing cricket by itself, but they had different impacts on walking responses to airflow stimuli. While the 15-kHz tone reduced response probability, extended moving distance, and enhanced turn-angle variability, the 5-kHz tone had no effect. Although both frequencies of tones facilitated walking backward, the 15-kHz tone had a larger effect than the 5-kHz tone. These frequency dependencies of behavioural modulation suggest that crickets can recognize acoustic contexts and alter their escape strategy accordingly.
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Abstract
In this issue of Neuron, Watanabe et al. (2017) uncover how octopamine, an invertebrate norepinephrine analog, modulates the neural pathways that bias Drosophila males toward aggression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Talmo D Pereira
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Mala Murthy
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
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Calhoun AJ, Murthy M. Quantifying behavior to solve sensorimotor transformations: advances from worms and flies. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2017; 46:90-98. [PMID: 28850885 PMCID: PMC5765764 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2017.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2017] [Revised: 08/05/2017] [Accepted: 08/08/2017] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
The development of new computational tools has recently opened up the study of natural behaviors at a precision that was previously unachievable. These tools permit a highly quantitative analysis of behavioral dynamics at timescales that are well matched to the timescales of neural activity. Here we examine how combining these methods with established techniques for estimating an animal's sensory experience presents exciting new opportunities for dissecting the sensorimotor transformations performed by the nervous system. We focus this review primarily on examples from Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster-for these model systems, computational approaches to characterize behavior, in combination with unparalleled genetic tools for neural activation, silencing, and recording, have already proven instrumental for illuminating underlying neural mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J Calhoun
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, United States
| | - Mala Murthy
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, United States; Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, United States
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Experimental and statistical reevaluation provides no evidence for Drosophila courtship song rhythms. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:9978-9983. [PMID: 28851830 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1707471114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
From 1980 to 1992, a series of influential papers reported on the discovery, genetics, and evolution of a periodic cycling of the interval between Drosophila male courtship song pulses. The molecular mechanisms underlying this periodicity were never described. To reinitiate investigation of this phenomenon, we previously performed automated segmentation of songs but failed to detect the proposed rhythm [Arthur BJ, et al. (2013) BMC Biol 11:11; Stern DL (2014) BMC Biol 12:38]. Kyriacou et al. [Kyriacou CP, et al. (2017) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 114:1970-1975] report that we failed to detect song rhythms because (i) our flies did not sing enough and (ii) our segmenter did not identify many of the song pulses. Kyriacou et al. manually annotated a subset of our recordings and reported that two strains displayed rhythms with genotype-specific periodicity, in agreement with their original reports. We cannot replicate this finding and show that the manually annotated data, the original automatically segmented data, and a new dataset provide no evidence for either the existence of song rhythms or song periodicity differences between genotypes. Furthermore, we have reexamined our methods and analysis and find that our automated segmentation method was not biased to prevent detection of putative song periodicity. We conclude that there is no evidence for the existence of Drosophila courtship song rhythms.
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