Sensorimotor pathway controlling stopping behavior during chemotaxis in the Drosophila melanogaster larva.

ABSTRACT: Sensory navigation results from coordinated transitions between distinct behavioral programs. During chemotaxis in the Drosophila melanogaster larva, the detection of positive odor gradients extends runs while negative gradients promote stops and turns. This algorithm represents a foundation for the control of sensory navigation across phyla. In the present work, we identified an olfactory descending neuron, PDM-DN, which plays a pivotal role in the organization of stops and turns in response to the detection of graded changes in odor concentrations. Artificial activation of this descending neuron induces deterministic stops followed by the initiation of turning maneuvers through head casts. Using electron microscopy, we reconstructed the main pathway that connects the PDM-DN neuron

SUBMITTER: Tastekin I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6264072 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature