The study details over 50 million connections among more than 139,000 neurons in the brain of the common fruit fly, a species frequently used in neuroscience research.
On October 3rd, the scientific community marked a significant milestone in neuroscience with the publication of a complete brain map of the adult fruit fly in the prestigious journal Nature.
This achievement is considered a remarkable feat that provides insights into the brains of the entire animal kingdom, including humans.
Brain map of the fruit fly. (Photo: Nature).
The research presents a detailed overview of more than 50 million connections among over 139,000 neurons in the fruit fly, scientifically known as Drosophila melanogaster, which is commonly utilized in neuroscience studies.
The study seeks to decode how the brain operates and the signals indicating proper brain function. This work may pave the way for mapping the brains of other species.
Co-lead researcher, Professor of Neuroscience and Computer Science Sebastian Seung from Princeton University, stated that truly understanding how a brain works, whether it belongs to a fruit fly or another animal, will certainly provide deeper insights into many aspects of the brains of other animals.
Some researchers find the fruit fly brain, with a circumference of less than 1 mm, to be an aesthetically appealing choice for studying animal brains.
Co-lead researcher and neuroscientist Gregory Jefferis from the University of Cambridge affirmed that the fruit fly brain is a beautiful structure, suitable for research.
The map created by the researchers has provided a network diagram of connections in the adult fruit fly’s brain.
Similar studies have previously been conducted on simpler organisms, such as the worm Caenorhabditis elegans and the larval stage of the fruit fly. Adult fruit flies exhibit more complex behaviors, reflected in the network connections within this species’ brain.
Neuroscientist Mala Murthy from Princeton, one of the research leads, noted that one of the key questions to address is how the network connection system in the brain, the neurons, and their linkages can lead to animal behavior. The fruit fly brain serves as an important model system for neuroscience because their brains tackle many similar problems as ours… They are capable of executing complex behaviors such as walking and flying, learning and memory, navigation, foraging, and even social interactions, all of which scientists have studied in the lab at Princeton.
One study analyzed the brain circuits related to walking and discovered how fruit flies stop. Another study examined the taste network and the circuitry behind behaviors like using their legs to clean dirt from their antennae. The team also investigated the visual system, including how the fruit fly’s eyes process movement and color information. Collectively, the researchers created a map tracking the organization of the hemispheres and the behavioral circuits within the fruit fly’s brain.
The team also identified the complete set of cell layers in the fruit fly’s brain, accurately identifying various types of neurons and different chemical connections – the synapses – among these neurons and examining the types of chemicals released by the neurons.
This work was made possible through an international collaborative network of scientists known as the FlyWire Consortium.
