The functional organization of male-specific visual neurons in flies

J Comp Physiol A. 1991 Oct;169(4):395-411. doi: 10.1007/BF00197653.

Abstract

Intracellular recording and Lucifer yellow dye filling of male fleshflies, Sarcophaga bullata, have revealed male-specific neurons in the lobula, the axons of which project to the origin of premotor channels supplying flight motor neurons. Dendrites of male-specific neurons visit areas of the retinotopic mosaic supplied by the retina's acute zone, which is used by males to keep the image of a conspecific female centered during aerial pursuit. Only males engage in high-speed aerobatic chases, and male-specific neurons are suspected to underlie this behavior. Physiological determination of receptive fields of male-specific neurons substantiates the fields predicted from anatomical studies and demonstrates that they subtend the acute zone. Male-specific neurons respond in a manner predicted on theoretical grounds from observations of tracking behavior. Such properties include directional selectivity to visual motion and higher sensitivity to motion of small images than to wide-field motion. The present account substantiates and extends neuroanatomical evidence that predicts that male-specific lobula neurons comprise a distinct circuit mediating conspecific tracking.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Brain / cytology
  • Cobalt
  • Dendrites / physiology
  • Diptera / anatomy & histology
  • Diptera / physiology*
  • Electrodes
  • Electrophysiology
  • Isoquinolines
  • Male
  • Neurons / physiology*
  • Sex Characteristics
  • Species Specificity
  • Staining and Labeling
  • Vision, Ocular / physiology*

Substances

  • Isoquinolines
  • Cobalt
  • lucifer yellow