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Updated: Sep 6, 2025

Novel Assay for Cold Nociception in Drosophila Larvae
Published on: April 3, 2017
Protocols for measuring cold-evoked neural activity and cold tolerance in Drosophila larvae following fictive cold
Nathaniel J Himmel1, Akira Sakurai1, Kevin J Donaldson1
1Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.
Abstract:
Here, we outline protocols to study cold acclimation in Drosophila from a neurobiological perspective, starting with fictive cold acclimation using a custom-built optogenetics-housing apparatus we call the OptoBox. We also provide detailed steps for single-unit electrophysiological recordings from larval cold nociceptors and a high-throughput cold-tolerance assay. These protocols expand the toolkit for the study of insect cold acclimation and nociception. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Himmel et al. (2021).

