Activity of nested neural circuits drives different courtship songs in Drosophila
authors: Hiroshi M. Shiozaki, Kaiyu Wang, Joshua L. Lillvis, Min Xu, Barry J. Dickson, David L. Stern
doi: 10.1038/s41593-024-01738-9
CITATION
Shiozaki, H. M., Wang, K., Lillvis, J. L., Xu, M., Dickson, B. J., & Stern, D. L. (2024). Activity of nested neural circuits drives different courtship songs in Drosophila. Nature Neuroscience, 27(10), 1954–1965. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-024-01738-9
ABSTRACT
Abstract Motor systems implement diverse motor programs to pattern behavioral sequences, yet how different motor actions are controlled on a moment-by-moment basis remains unclear. Here, we investigated the neural circuit mechanisms underlying the control of distinct courtship songs in Drosophila . Courting males rapidly alternate between two types of song: pulse and sine. By recording calcium signals in the ventral nerve cord in singing flies, we found that one neural population is active during both songs, whereas an expanded neural population, which includes neurons from the first population, is active during pulse song. Brain recordings showed that this nested activation pattern is present in two descending pathways required for singing. Connectomic analysis reveals that these two descending pathways provide structured input to ventral nerve cord neurons in a manner consistent with their activation patterns. These results suggest that nested premotor circuit activity, directed by distinct descending signals, enables rapid switching between motor actions.
fleeting notes
many possible premotor mechanisms can produce overlapping motor activity
- independent neural populations can also activate overlapping muscles to produce distinct movements
VNC interneuron activity generates song - so circuit probably not in brain
to image from VNC during singing - they glued parts of the legs instead of the thorax to the recording plate and dissected from the ventral side of thorax
there are 500 fru+ neurons in male VNC and 35 morphologically distinct cell types
highlights
“how different motor actions are controlled on a moment-by-moment basis remains unclear”Page
“nested premotor circuit activity, directed by distinct descending signals, enables rapid switching between motor actions”Page
“A common mechanism to produce different actions is to activate separate neural populations, each dedicated to one action. For example, during locomotion, flexor and extensor muscles in the vertebrate limb alternately contract through activation of different neural populations in the spinal cord1,2. This type of motor control often underlies body movements that involve contractions of distinct populations of muscles. Diverse actions can also be produced by differentially contracting overlapping sets of muscles, as seen in the respiratory system3, yet little is known about how these actions are controlled by the motor system.”Page
“Many possible premotor mechanisms could produce this pattern of overlapping motor activity. For example, in contrast to the motor control systems discussed above, independent neural populations can also activate overlapping muscles to produce distinct movements”Page