2019年1月23日（水）
16:00 ~ 17:00
会場 ： CiNet　1F　大会議室

“Parallel encoding of vision, memory, and self-motion in fruit fly central nervous system”

理化学研究所
脳神経科学研究センター
塩崎 博史

担当 : 藤田 一郎

Abstract
Animal navigation requires a variety of brain functions such as perception, memory, and decision-making to control directional heading. In the brain, these functions are implemented as patterns of neural activity. However, it remains unclear how such activity patterns emerge because the underlying neural circuits are hard to define in mammals. We focus on the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, making use of rich genetic resources to link the structure and function of neural circuits. By performing two-photon calcium imaging while head-fixed flies were flying in a virtual environment, we identified parallel neural circuits that carry information about vision, memory, and self-motion. The brain region downstream of the parallel circuits is the central complex, the navigation center in the insect brain. Our recording revealed that multiple sets of recurrent circuits in the central complex represent flight steering maneuvers as the dynamics reminiscent of ring attractors. In sum, we decipher neural codes for navigation in a tractable model animal and set the stage for understanding how the brain implements computations for complex behaviors.