Methods for Exploring the Circuit Basis of Ethanol-Induced Changes in Drosophila Group Locomotor Activity

Locomotion is a behavioral readout that can be used to understand responses to specific stimuli or perturbations. The fly Group Activity Monitor (flyGrAM) provides a high-throughput and high-content readout of the acute stimulatory and sedative effects of ethanol. The flyGrAM system is adaptable and seamlessly introduces thermogenetic or optogenetic stimulation to dissect neural circuits underlying behavior and tests responses to other volatilized stimuli (humidified air, odorants, anesthetics, vaporized drugs of abuse, etc.). The automated quantification and readout of activity provide users with a real-time representation of the group activity within each chamber throughout the experiment, helping users to quickly determine proper ethanol doses and duration, run behavioral screens, and plan follow-up experiments.