Neuromuscular basis of Drosophila larval rolling escape behavior.

ABSTRACT: When threatened by dangerous or harmful stimuli, animals engage in diverse forms of rapid escape behaviors. In Drosophila larvae, one type of escape response involves C-shaped bending and lateral rolling followed by rapid forward crawling. The sensory circuitry that promotes larval escape has been extensively characterized; however, the motor programs underlying rolling are unknown. Here, we characterize the neuromuscular basis of rolling escape behavior. We used high-speed, volumetric, Swept Confocally Aligned Planar Excitation (SCAPE) microscopy to image muscle activity during larval rolling. Unlike sequential peristaltic muscle contractions that progress from segment to segment during forward and backward crawling, muscle activity progresses circumferentially during bending and r

SUBMITTER: Cooney PC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10743538 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature