Genetic dissection of a regionally differentiated network for exploratory behavior in Drosophila larvae.

ABSTRACT: An efficient strategy to explore the environment for available resources involves the execution of random walks where straight line locomotion alternates with changes of direction. This strategy is highly conserved in the animal kingdom, from zooplankton to human hunter-gatherers. Drosophila larvae execute a routine of this kind, performing straight line crawling interrupted at intervals by pause turns that halt crawling and redirect the trajectory of movement. The execution of this routine depends solely on the activity of networks located in the thoracic and abdominal segments of the nervous system, while descending input from the brain serves to modify it in a context-dependent fashion. I used a genetic method to investigate the location and function of the circuitry required for the di

SUBMITTER: Berni J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4446794 | biostudies-literature | 2015 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature