A neural circuit architecture for angular integration in Drosophila

May 25, 2017Nature

A brain circuit for tracking direction changes in fruit flies

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Abstract

Drosophila central complex neurons exhibit specific patterns that may help compute angular heading during navigation.

A set of neurons in Drosophila is identified that shifts angular heading estimates based on the fly's movement direction.
Two subtypes of shifting neurons correspond to different phases of tethered-walking turns.
These neurons are necessary for accurately tracking heading in dark conditions.
Stimulation of shifting neurons causes predictable changes in the heading signal.
The features of this biological circuit resemble computational models for head-direction cells found in rodents.

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Many animals keep track of their angular heading over time while navigating through their environment. However, a neural-circuit architecture for computing heading has not been experimentally defined in any species. Here we describe a set of clockwise- and anticlockwise-shifting neurons in the Drosophila central complex whose wiring and physiology provide a means to rotate an angular heading estimate based on the fly's angular velocity. We show that each class of shifting neurons exists in two subtypes, with spatiotemporal activity profiles that suggest different roles for each subtype at the start and end of tethered-walking turns. Shifting neurons are required for the heading system to properly track the fly's heading in the dark, and stimulation of these neurons induces predictable shifts in the heading signal. The central features of this biological circuit are analogous to those of computational models proposed for head-direction cells in rodents and may shed light on how neural systems, in general, perform integration.

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Abstract

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