| dc.description.abstract |
<p>One of the outstanding goals of neuroscience is to understand how neural circuits
are assembled to produce context appropriate behavior. In an ever changing environment,
it is critical for animals to be able to flexibly respond to different stimuli to
optimize their behavioral responses accordingly. Oviposition, or the process of choosing
where to lay eggs, is an important behavior for egg-laying animals, yet the neural
mechanisms of this behavior are still not completely understood. Here, we use the
genetically tractable organism, Drosophila melanogaster, to investigate how the brain
decides which substrates are best for egg deposition. We show that flies prefer to
lay eggs away from UV light and that induction egg-laying correlates with increased
movement away from UV. Both egg-laying and movement aversion of UV are mediated through
R7 photoreceptors, but only movement aversion is mediated through Dm8 amacrine neurons.
We then identify octopaminergic neurons as being potential modulators of egg-laying
output. Collectively, this work reveals new insights into the neural mechanisms that
govern Drosophila egg-laying behavior.</p>
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