The Mushroom Body is the main learning and memory center in the insect brain. In Drosophila melanogaster, it is a region of interest to understand the neural circuitry of olfactory learning. But what are the changes at the cellular level that underlie the animal’s motivation to choose a rewarding stimulus over a neutral one? I aim to investigate and characterize these changes with a focus on the input region of this learning center – the Calyx, which receives olfactory and modulatory input, and shows circuit-level changes upon memory consolidation (Baltruschat et al., 2021). Using high-resolution and in vivo imaging techniques along with conditioning experiments, I aim to deduce the structural and functional changes associated with learning in the Calyx.
Ph.D. student:
Pallavi Syam
pallavisyam(at)devbiol.rwth-aachen.de
Publications:
Baltruschat, L., Prisco, L., Ranft, P., Lauritzen, J.S., Fiala, A., Bock, D.D., Tavosanis, G., 2021. Circuit reorganization in the Drosophila mushroom body calyx accompanies memory consolidation. Cell Rep.
34, 108871. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2021.108871.
