Topic: LPLC2

Animals use their vision to detect objects in their environment and thereby guide their behavior. In particular, flying insects show behavioral responses to small moving visual objects, but neural circuits underlying such visuomotor reflexes are not clearly understood. We identified a neural pathway underlying small object avoidance in flying Drosophila. We first screened various types of visual projection neurons (VPNs) and descending neurons (DNs) by unilaterally stimulating their dendritic processes using optogenetics. We found 5 types of VPNs and 2 types of DNs that caused flies to turn aw

High noise tolerance is a hallmark of sensory systems as external stimuli are intrinsically noisy. However, the neural mechanisms underlying the noise tolerance are not clearly understood. In Drosophila vision, we evaluated behavioral and physiological changes in visual responses to simple visual patterns––translating bars, gratings, spots, and looming objects––overlaid with varying levels of salt-and-pepper noise. In tethered, flying Drosophila, we found that the noise tolerance, evaluated by changes in visually evoked wingbeat responses, depends on the pattern. Namely, the noise tolerance wa