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Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Taste Preference Assay for Adult Drosophila
Published on: September 8, 2016
Combined rather than separate pathways for hedonic and sensory aspects of taste in fly larvae?
Julien Colomb1, Reinhard F Stocker
1Gènes et Dynamique des Systèmes de Mémoire, UMR CNRS 7637, Ecole Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles, Paris, France. julien.colomb@espci.fr
Abstract:
In mammals, the hedonic aspects (good versus bad) and sensory aspects (i.e., the molecular quality) of taste are associated with different brain regions. Anatomical data argue against such a separation in the primary taste center of Drosophila larvae. Is only one aspect of taste represented or do both co-exist at the same location? I present evidence for a hedonic representation in the larval taste center and review anatomical and behavioral data which support the co-existence of a sensory representation of taste with a hedonic representation.
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