Behavioral Assays for Optogenetic Manipulation of Neural Circuits in Drosophila melanogaster.

ABSTRACT: Optogenetics has become a fundamental technique in neuroscience, enabling precise control of neuronal activity through light stimulation. This study introduces easy-to-implement setups for applying optogenetic methods in Drosophila melanogaster. Two optogenetic tools, CsChrimson, a red-light-activated cation channel, and GtACR2, a blue-light-activated anion channel, were employed in four experimental approaches. Three of these approaches involve single-fly experiments: (1) a blue-light optogenetic thermotactic positional preference assay targeting temperature-sensitive heating cells, (2) a red-light optogenetic positional preference assay activating bitter sensing neurons, and (3) a proboscis extension response assay activating the sweet-sensing neurons. The fourth approach (4) is a fly ma

SUBMITTER: Huda A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12051042 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature