Scientists map male fly brain to reveal wiring differences
Scientists in Cambridge reconstructed the male fruit fly brain at the level of all 124 million neural connections and compared it with a female brain mapped two years earlier. They report that roughly 95% of cells are shared but about 5% of wiring differs, and those sex-specific circuits explain male visual tracking in courtship, expanded aggression wiring, and a unique wing-vibration song circuit. Two known genes drive these wiring differences. The work gives a clear example of how genes shape brain wiring and could inform studies of human neuropsychiatric conditions and biologically inspired artificial intelligence.
About five percent of fly brain wiring differs between sexes.
Context
Researchers mapped the female fly brain two years ago. Now they have mapped a male brain and compared the two. Next steps could include using these wiring maps to study gene effects and applications for human conditions and AI.
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