Fruit flies have been studied in detail because they are a model organism that has many of the same components as humans. Fruit flies have a connectome, or a complete map of all the neurons in their brain, which scientists can use to study how information is processed. This information can then be used to learn more about how human brains function, and may help us to better understand various disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Drosophila are interesting creatures to study because they share so many similarities with humans. For example, both drosophila and humans have eight pairs of legs, two antennae, and a head. Even more strikingly, drosophilians share many of the same genes as human beings – scientists can use this information to study human diseases in greater detail. And lastly, drosophilic behavior is often comparable to that of humans – for example, when a drosophile is thirsty or wants to find food.
In some ways, the 21st century feels like a golden age for drosophila research. Thanks to the recent development of high-throughput sequencing technologies, we now have a much greater understanding of this tiny creature than ever before. In addition, thanks to the power of artificial intelligence (AI), we are now able to simulate aspects of drosophila physiology in unprecedented detail. This has allowed us to make significant advances in our understanding of this fascinating organism, and could potentially lead to new treatments for diseases such as cancer.
There has been a huge increase in the complexity of brain mapping in recent years, with 10 times as many synapses as the last organism to have its map mapped. This new Synapse-by-Synapse map of a larval drosophila brain is incredibly complex, and provides insight into how neurons connect and function.
The new research suggests that fruit flies may be a good model for understanding how the human brain develops and malfunctions. The Fruit Fly larva has many of the same features as an adult fly brain, including short-term memory and other expected functions.
The researchers found that propagating signals were mostly concentrated in areas with high activity, such as the cortex and hippocampus. Interestingly, they also found that cross-hemisphere interactions were more prevalent in higher brain regions. This could mean that higher thinking skills involve a greater interaction between different parts of the brain.
The serial section electron microscope image of the Drosophila brain shows a very complex and organized structure. The major lobes of the brain are clearly identifiable, as are several smaller nerve bundles. Separate areas within each lobe appear to be devoted to specific functions, such as memory storage and navigation.
The model above is the result of medical imaging technologies. It is known as a slug wearing a clown wig, and it is not what it looks like in vivo.
As we continue to study the brain, it’s clear that its organization is incredibly complex. In fact, a complete connectome of a complex living creature is fundamentally exciting because it allows scientists to replicate individual sub-systems and smaller brains, but also explore how these systems interact. This massive new study provides the most detailed characterization yet of the brain and will almost certainly be used and cited across the discipline.
The artificial neural network is a type of machine learning algorithm that was inspired by the structure and function of the human brain. Studying how such complex behavior is produced by such a sparsely populated brain could “perhaps inspire new machine learning architectures.”
A simulation of the fly’s body and movements would be incredibly helpful in understanding how this tiny creature interacts with its environment. However, since we currently lack a detailed mechanical model of the adult fly’s body, this is not possible.
