Neural circuit basis of olfactory perception in Drosophila, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK

Learning from connectomes.

Through two international collaborations, we have recently completed synaptic resolution wiring diagrams for the whole brain and nerve cord of the adult fly. These connectomes, the first for an animal with eyes, legs and complex behaviour, are transforming neuroscience in Drosophila. Sooner rather than later they will do the same for other model organisms. I will summarise how these connectomes have been obtained; what we have already learned; and showcase how we and others are using them to understand dynamic processes including multisensory processing, navigation, learning and locomotion.

Invited by Claire Eschbach & François Rouyer