Insects
have
evolved
diverse
and
remarkable
strategies
for
navigating
in
various
ecologies
all
over
the
world.
Regardless
of
species,
insects
share
presence
a
group
morphologically
conserved
neuropils
known
collectively
as
central
complex
(CX).
The
CX
is
navigational
center,
involved
sensory
integration
coordinated
motor
activity.
Despite
fact
that
our
understanding
behavior
comes
predominantly
from
ants
bees,
most
what
we
know
about
underlying
neural
circuitry
such
work
fruit
flies.
Here,
aim
to
close
this
gap,
by
providing
first
comprehensive
map
major
columnar
neurons
their
projection
patterns
bee.
We
find
numerous
components
circuit
appear
be
highly
between
fly
bee,
but
also
highlight
several
key
differences
which
are
likely
important
functional
ramifications.
In
most
animals,
the
brain
controls
body
via
a
set
of
descending
neurons
(DNs)
that
traverse
neck.
DN
activity
activates,
maintains
or
modulates
locomotion
and
other
behaviors.
Individual
DNs
have
been
well-studied
in
species
from
insects
to
primates,
but
little
is
known
about
overall
connectivity
patterns
across
population.
We
systematically
investigated
anatomy
Drosophila
melanogaster
created
over
100
transgenic
lines
targeting
individual
cell
types.
identified
roughly
half
all
comprehensively
map
between
sensory
motor
neuropils
nerve
cord,
respectively.
find
cord
layered
system
reflecting
fly's
capability
for
two
largely
independent
means
--
walking
flight
using
distinct
sets
appendages.
Our
results
reveal
basic
functional
pathways
flies
provide
tools
systematic
interrogation
neural
circuits.
Flexible
behaviors
over
long
timescales
are
thought
to
engage
recurrent
neural
networks
in
deep
brain
regions,
which
experimentally
challenging
study.
In
insects,
circuit
dynamics
a
region
called
the
central
complex
(CX)
enable
directed
locomotion,
sleep,
and
context-
experience-dependent
spatial
navigation.
We
describe
first
complete
electron
microscopy-based
connectome
of
To
analyse
neuron
data
at
scale,
neuroscientists
expend
substantial
effort
reading
documentation,
installing
dependencies
and
moving
between
analysis
visualisation
environments.
facilitate
this,
we
have
developed
a
suite
of
interoperable
open-source
R
packages
called
the
natverse.
The
natverse
allows
users
to
read
local
remote
data,
perform
popular
analyses
including
clustering
graph-theoretic
neuronal
branching.
Unlike
most
tools,
enables
comparison
across
many
neurons
morphology
connectivity
after
imaging
or
co-registration
within
common
template
space.
also
transformations
different
spaces
modalities.
We
demonstrate
tools
that
integrate
vast
majority
Journal of Experimental Biology,
Journal Year:
2019,
Volume and Issue:
222(Suppl_1)
Published: Feb. 6, 2019
ABSTRACT
Oriented
behaviour
is
present
in
almost
all
animals,
indicating
that
it
an
ancient
feature
has
emerged
from
animal
brains
hundreds
of
millions
years
ago.
Although
many
complex
navigation
strategies
have
been
described,
each
strategy
can
be
broken
down
into
a
series
elementary
navigational
decisions.
In
moment
time,
to
compare
its
current
heading
with
desired
direction
and
compensate
for
any
mismatch
by
producing
steering
response
either
the
right
or
left.
Different
reflex-driven
movements,
target-directed
not
only
initiated
sensory
input,
but
also
takes
account
previous
experience
motivational
state.
Once
decisions
are
chained
together
form
one
coherent
strategies,
pursue
target,
e.g.
food
source,
nest
entrance
constant
flight
during
migrations.
Insects
show
great
variety
behaviours
and,
owing
their
small
brains,
pursuit
neural
circuits
controlling
made
substantial
progress
over
last
years.
A
brain
region
as
insects
themselves,
called
central
complex,
likely
centre
brain.
Research
across
species
shown
contains
circuitry
might
comprise
substrate
this
involved
wide
range
other
functions,
we
hypothesize
Review
role
mediating
animal's
next
move
ancestral
function,
around
which
functions
layered
course
evolution.
Frontiers in Neuroscience,
Journal Year:
2022,
Volume and Issue:
16
Published: Feb. 24, 2022
Since
the
beginning
of
information
processing
by
electronic
components,
nervous
system
has
served
as
a
metaphor
for
organization
computational
primitives.
Brain-inspired
computing
today
encompasses
class
approaches
ranging
from
using
novel
nano-devices
computation
to
research
into
large-scale
neuromorphic
architectures,
such
TrueNorth,
SpiNNaker,
BrainScaleS,
Tianjic,
and
Loihi.
While
implementation
details
differ,
spiking
neural
networks-sometimes
referred
third
generation
networks-are
common
abstraction
used
model
with
systems.
Here
we
describe
second
BrainScaleS
architecture,
emphasizing
applications
enabled
this
architecture.
It
combines
custom
analog
accelerator
core
supporting
accelerated
physical
emulation
bio-inspired
network
primitives
tightly
coupled
digital
processor
event-routing
network.
Nature Communications,
Journal Year:
2022,
Volume and Issue:
13(1)
Published: Aug. 8, 2022
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,
direction-tuned
activity,
sparse
activation
of
in
reproducible
direction,
activity
required
for
persistent
orientation
during
odor.
Based
on
connectome
data,
develop
computational
model
showing
can
promote
goal
such
as
an
source.
Our
results
suggest
processed
by
separate
pathways
within
goal-directed
