A5061516644- Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
- Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Insect Pheromone Research and Control
- Advanced Chemical Sensor Technologies
- Plant and animal studies
- Reading and Literacy Development
- Genetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies
- Neural dynamics and brain function
- Physiological and biochemical adaptations
- Study of Mite Species
- Vector-borne infectious diseases
- Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skills
- Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Bird parasitology and diseases
- Circadian rhythm and melatonin
NYU Langone Health
2020-2024
Stanford University
2023
New York University
2018-2020
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
2018
New York Proton Center
2018
Neuroscience Institute
2018
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2015
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
2010-2013
Abstract To navigate towards a food source, animals frequently combine odor cues about source identity with wind direction location. Where and how these two are integrated to support navigation is unclear. Here we describe pathway the Drosophila fan-shaped body that encodes attractive promotes upwind navigation. We show neurons throughout this encode odor, but not direction. Using connectomics, identify local called h∆C receive input from previously described pathway. exhibit odor-gated,...
Abstract Originally a genetic model organism, the experimental use of Drosophila melanogaster has grown to include quantitative behavioral analyses, sophisticated perturbations neuronal function, and detailed sensory physiology. A highlight these developments can be seen in context vision, where pioneering studies have uncovered fundamental generalizable principles processing. Here we begin with an overview vision-guided behaviors common methods for probing visual circuits. We then outline...
The insect central complex (CX) is thought to underlie goal-oriented navigation but its functional organization not fully understood. We recorded from genetically-identified CX cell types in Drosophila and presented directional visual, olfactory, airflow cues known elicit orienting behavior. found that a group of neurons targeting the ventral fan-shaped body (ventral P-FNs) are robustly tuned for direction. Ventral P-FNs did generate ‘map’ Instead, cells each hemisphere were 45° ipsilateral,...
How does circuit wiring constrain neural computation? Recent work has leveraged connectomic datasets to predict the function of cells and circuits in brains many species. However, these hypotheses have not been compared with physiological measurements, obscuring limits connectome-based functional predictions. To explore limits, we characterized visual responses 91 cell types fruit fly quantitatively them We show that predictions are accurate for some response properties, such as orientation...
Abstract Defying the cliche that biological variation arises from differences in nature or nurture, genetically identical animals reared same environment exhibit striking their behaviors. Innate behaviors can be surprisingly flexible, for example by exhibiting context-dependence. The intersection of behavioral individuality and context-dependence is largely unexplored, particularly at neural circuit level. Here, we show individual flies’ tendencies to turn left right (locomotor handedness)...
Developmental dyslexia is a language learning disorder that affects approximately 4-10% of the population. A number candidate susceptibility genes have been identified, including DCDC2 and KIAA0319 on Chromosome (Chr) 6p22.2 DYX1C1 Chr 15q21. Embryonic knockdown function homologs these in rat neocortical projection cell progenitors by utero electroporation plasmids encoding small hairpin RNA (shRNA) revealed all three disrupted neuronal migration to neocortex. Specifically, this disruption...
Abstract To navigate towards a food source, animals must frequently combine odor cues that tell them what sources are useful with wind direction where the source can be found. Where and how these two integrated to support navigation is unclear. Here we identify pathway Drosophila fan-shaped body (FB) encodes attractive promotes upwind navigation. We show neurons throughout this encode odor, but not direction. Using connectomics, FB local called hΔC receive input from previously described...
In our published Article, we identified a Gal4 line (VT062617) that believed labeled hΔC interneurons of the fan-shaped body.We showed body by this responded to odor in wind-direction-dependent manner and both activation silencing neurons had effects on fly navigation behavior.Following publication performed additional experiments label single within line, now Hamid et al. 2024 1 .These suggest additionally or perhaps predominantly labels different interneuron type known as hΔK, which is...
Abstract How brain circuits convert sensory signals into goal-oriented movement is a central question in neuroscience. In insects, region known as the Central Complex (CX) believed to support navigation, but how its compartments process diverse cues guide navigation not fully clear. To address this question, we recorded from genetically-identified CX cell types Drosophila and presented directional visual, olfactory, airflow elicit orienting behavior. We found that group of columnar neurons...
Summary A longstanding goal of systems neuroscience is to quantitatively describe how the brain integrates cues from multiple modalities over time. Here we develop a closed-loop orienting paradigm in Drosophila study algorithms by which stimuli different are combined during ongoing navigation. We show that flies faced with an attractive visual and aversive mechanosensory cue exhibit sequential responses, first turning away co-localized before back toward them. also find presence slows flies’...