Distinct memory traces for two visual features in the Drosophila brain.
The fly Drosophila melanogaster can discriminate and remember visual landmarks. It analyses selected parts of its visual environment according to a small number of pattern parameters such as size, colour or contour orientation, and stores particular parameter values. Like humans, flies recognize patterns independently of the retinal position during acquisition of the pattern (translation invariance). Here we show that the central-most part of the fly brain, the fan-shaped body, contains parts of a network mediating visual pattern recognition. We have identified short-term memory traces of two pattern parameters--elevation in the panorama and contour orientation. These can be localized to two groups of neurons extending branches as parallel, horizontal strata in the fan-shaped body. The central location of this memory store is well suited to mediate translational invariance.
Liu
Gang
G
State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 15 Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China.
Seiler
Holger
H
Wen
Ai
A
Zars
Troy
T
Ito
Kei
K
Wolf
Reinhard
R
Heisenberg
Martin
M
Liu
Li
L
D000262:Adenylyl Cyclases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D003463:Cues; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D019415:Torque
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D000262:Adenylyl Cyclases; C479926:Rut protein, Drosophila