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Comment
. 2021 Oct 26:10:e73963.
doi: 10.7554/eLife.73963.

Mapping the fly's 'brain in the brain'

Affiliations
Comment

Mapping the fly's 'brain in the brain'

Stanley Heinze. Elife. .

Abstract

Studying neurons and their connections in the central complex of the fruit fly reveals new insights into how their structure and function shape perception and behavior.

Keywords: D. melanogaster; central complex; connectome; insect; navigation; neuroscience; sensorimotor; sleep.

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Conflict of interest statement

SH No competing interests declared

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. The connectome of the central complex of a fruit fly.
Using electron microscopy, the brain of the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster, head depicted on the left) was imaged at high resolution. All neurons of the central complex were reconstructed (some of which are shown in the middle image) and their synaptic connections were extracted. The resulting neuronal networks (symbolically illustrated on the right) were linked to the functions they have in controlling the fly’s behavior.

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