Molecular and brain circuit processes controlling the daily biological clock in fruit flies

Approximately 150 clock neurons in the Drosophila brain are involved in regulating circadian rhythms.

• The review explores how time-of-day signals are transmitted within the clock network and beyond.
• It highlights the mechanisms that connect the molecular clock to behavioral rhythms.
• Functional multisynaptic circuits have been identified between clock neurons and output neurons.
• These circuits are implicated in the regulation of locomotor activity in Drosophila.

Simplified