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Behavioral and circuit basis of sucrose rejection by Drosophila females in a simple decision-making task.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Yang, C-H; He, R; Stern, U
Published in: J Neurosci
January 28, 2015

Drosophila melanogaster egg-laying site selection offers a genetic model to study a simple form of value-based decision. We have previously shown that Drosophila females consistently reject a sucrose-containing substrate and choose a plain (sucrose-free) substrate for egg laying in our sucrose versus plain decision assay. However, either substrate is accepted when it is the sole option. Here we describe the neural mechanism that underlies females' sucrose rejection in our sucrose versus plain assay. First, we demonstrate that females explored the sucrose substrate frequently before most egg-laying events, suggesting that they actively suppress laying eggs on the sucrose substrate as opposed to avoiding visits to it. Second, we show that activating a specific subset of DA neurons triggered a preference for laying eggs on the sucrose substrate over the plain one, suggesting that activating these DA neurons can increase the value of the sucrose substrate for egg laying. Third, we demonstrate that neither ablating nor inhibiting the mushroom body (MB), a known Drosophila learning and decision center, affected females' egg-laying preferences in our sucrose versus plain assay, suggesting that MB does not mediate this specific decision-making task. We propose that the value of a sucrose substrate- as an egg-laying option-can be adjusted by the activities of a specific DA circuit. Once the sucrose substrate is determined to be the lesser valued option, females execute their decision to reject this inferior substrate not by stopping their visits to it, but by actively suppressing their egg-laying motor program during their visits.

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Published In

J Neurosci

DOI

EISSN

1529-2401

Publication Date

January 28, 2015

Volume

35

Issue

4

Start / End Page

1396 / 1410

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase
  • Transcription Factors
  • Temperature
  • Sweetening Agents
  • Sucrose
  • Oviposition
  • Neurons
  • Neurology & Neurosurgery
  • Mutation
  • Food Preferences
 

Citation

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Yang, C.-H., He, R., & Stern, U. (2015). Behavioral and circuit basis of sucrose rejection by Drosophila females in a simple decision-making task. J Neurosci, 35(4), 1396–1410. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0992-14.2015
Yang, Chung-Hui, Ruo He, and Ulrich Stern. “Behavioral and circuit basis of sucrose rejection by Drosophila females in a simple decision-making task.J Neurosci 35, no. 4 (January 28, 2015): 1396–1410. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0992-14.2015.
Yang, Chung-Hui, et al. “Behavioral and circuit basis of sucrose rejection by Drosophila females in a simple decision-making task.J Neurosci, vol. 35, no. 4, Jan. 2015, pp. 1396–410. Pubmed, doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0992-14.2015.

Published In

J Neurosci

DOI

EISSN

1529-2401

Publication Date

January 28, 2015

Volume

35

Issue

4

Start / End Page

1396 / 1410

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase
  • Transcription Factors
  • Temperature
  • Sweetening Agents
  • Sucrose
  • Oviposition
  • Neurons
  • Neurology & Neurosurgery
  • Mutation
  • Food Preferences