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Updated: Feb 11, 2026

Functional Analysis of the Larval Feeding Circuit in Drosophila
Published on: November 19, 2013
Neural circuits driving larval locomotion in Drosophila
Matthew Q Clark1,2, Aref Arzan Zarin1, Arnaldo Carreira-Rosario
1Institute of Neuroscience, Institute of Molecular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403, USA.
Abstract:
More than 30 years of studies into Drosophila melanogaster neurogenesis have revealed fundamental insights into our understanding of axon guidance mechanisms, neural differentiation, and early cell fate decisions. What is less understood is how a group of neurons from disparate anterior-posterior axial positions, lineages and developmental periods of neurogenesis coalesce to form a functional circuit. Using neurogenetic techniques developed in Drosophila it is now possible to study the neural substrates of behavior at single cell resolution. New mapping tools described in this review, allow researchers to chart neural connectivity to better understand how an anatomically simple organism performs complex behaviors.
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