A single pair of interneurons commands the Drosophila feeding motor program.

ABSTRACT: Many feeding behaviours are the result of stereotyped, organized sequences of motor patterns. These patterns have been the subject of neuroethological studies, such as electrophysiological characterization of neurons governing prey capture in toads. However, technical limitations have prevented detailed study of the functional role of these neurons, a common problem for vertebrate organisms. Complexities involved in studies of whole-animal behaviour can be resolved in Drosophila, in which remote activation of brain cells by genetic means enables us to examine the nervous system in freely moving animals to identify neurons that govern a specific behaviour, and then to repeatedly target and manipulate these neurons to characterize their function. Here we show neurons that generate the feedin

SUBMITTER: Flood TF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3727048 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature