Unexplored neural circuit modulates memory strength: Fruit fly study
PPL2 neurons help modulate the strength of memories.... Read More...
mushroom body
Complete Fly Brain Image at Nanoscale Resolution
HHMI researchers used electronic microscopy technology to generate a high resolution digital snapshot of the adult fruit fly brain.... Read More...
Electron Microscopy Uncovers Unexpected Connections in Fruit Fly Brain
Microscopy technology allows researchers to discover new connections in brain areas associated with memory and learning in fruit flies.... Read More...
New Clues From Brain Structures of Mantis Shrimp
An eLife study reveals mantis shrimps have mushroom bodies in the brains. A key player in memory and learning in insects, mushroom bodies have not previously been identified in crustaceans. Researchers believe their finding could shed light on how brain structures evolved in arthropods.... Read More...
Mapping the Brain
Researchers have constructed a detailed brain map of the mushroom body in the fruit fly brain. The mushroom body is implicated in creating and storing memories for sensory information. ... Read More...
Rerouting Odor Information to Produce Flexible Behavior
A new study shows how dopamine can help change the flow of information in the brain.... Read More...
Observing Synaptic Plasticity While Flies Learn
Researchers present evidence of synaptic plasticity in the fruit fly brain as the animal learns.... Read More...
Revealing the Secrets of Individual Odor Preferences
A new study reveals why some people like odors others find repulsive.... Read More...
How the Brain Can Distinguish Good from Bad Smells
The lateral horn has been identified as the processing center for behaviorally relevant odor information, a new study reports. ... Read More...
Researchers Pinpoint Neurons Where Select Memories Grow
Researchers pinpoint a number of neurons in the brain where certain types of memory occur.... Read More...
The Discerning Fruit Fly: Linking Brain-Cell Activity and Behavior in Smell Recognition
Researchers have mapped the activity of brain cells in the mushroom body of flies conditioned to have Pavlovian behavioral responses to different odors. The findings suggest the activity of as few as 25 neurons are required to be able to distinguish between different odors.... Read More...
Dopamine: A Substance with Many Messages
Researchers recently localised and identified the most important types of nerve cells involved in forming positive and negative memories of a fruit fly. All four nerve cell types they discovered use dopamine to communicate with other nerve cells. Three of the nerve cell types assume various functions in mediating negative stimuli, while the fourth enables the fly to form positive memories.... Read More...