Flexible circuits for visually guided flight control in Drosophila
Abstract
Flight maneuvers in the fruit fly Drosophila have long served as a model for studying principles underlying visual information processing. Advances in genetic targeting of individual types of neurons for manipulation and recording, as well as the publication of the complete connectome, have greatly expanded our knowledge of how behavior is controlled by the fly's nervous system. In this review, I summarize recent findings on how visual information relevant to flight is transformed into a behavioral output, ranging from fast stabilizing reflex-like responses to longer-lasting goal-directed behaviors. I argue that flexibility in the processing of visual information and a hierarchical recruitment of different behavioral modules enable the control of this complex behavior with a comparatively small number of neurons.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation
Retinal Development and Disorders
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Trends in Neurosciences
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Volume
- 49
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 98–110
- Publication date
- 1 February 2026
- Language
- EN