Novel genetic approaches to behavior in Drosophila.

J Neurogenet

a Department of Functional Biology (Genetics) , University of Oviedo, Oviedo , Spain.

Published: December 2017

AI Article Synopsis

  • The study of behavior involves manipulating neural circuits, and the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) is a great model due to its small brain and advanced genetic tools.
  • Recent techniques allow researchers to target specific neurons in flies with high precision while observing their behavior.
  • This review outlines key genetic methods and tools for studying Drosophila's neural circuits, with examples from research on the olfactory receptor system.

Article Abstract

The study of behavior requires manipulation of the controlling neural circuits. The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is an ideal model for studying behavior because of its relatively small brain and the numerous sophisticated genetic tools that have been developed for this animal. Relatively recent technical advances allow the manipulation of a small subset of neurons with temporal resolution in flies while they are subject to behavior assays. This review briefly describes the most important genetic techniques, reagents, and approaches that are available to study and manipulate the neural circuits involved in Drosophila behavior. We also describe some examples of these genetic tools in the study of the olfactory receptor system.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01677063.2017.1395875DOI Listing

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