Cited by 336Neurobiology and Insect Physiology ResearchMemory and Neural MechanismsVestibular and auditory disorders

A neural circuit architecture for angular integration in Drosophila

Open access
Green, Jonathan, Adachi, Atsuko, Shah, Kunal K., Hirokawa, Jonathan D., Magani, Pablo S., Maimon, Gaby·2017·Nature

Abstract

Many animals keep track of their angular heading over time while navigating through their environment. However, a neural-circuit architecture for computing heading has not been experimentally defined in any species. Here we describe a set of clockwise- and anticlockwise-shifting neurons in the Drosophila central complex whose wiring and physiology provide a means to rotate an angular heading estimate based on the fly's angular velocity. We show that each class of shifting neurons exists in two subtypes, with spatiotemporal activity profiles that suggest different roles for each subtype at the start and end of tethered-walking turns. Shifting neurons are required for the heading system to properly track the fly's heading in the dark, and stimulation of these neurons induces predictable shifts in the heading signal. The central features of this biological circuit are analogous to those of computational models proposed for head-direction cells in rodents and may shed light on how neural systems, in general, perform integration.

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Integrity signals

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Crossref · 10.1038/nature22343

Cites

43 of 43 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • No statistical methods were used to predetermine sample sizes, but the sample sizes are similar to those reported in previous publications.

    “No statistical methods were used to predetermine sample sizes but our sample sizes are similar to those reported in previous publications23,24,33,34,37,38.”

    From Multimodal cue integration and learning in a neural representation of head direction (2025) · cites this paper as [38]

    The source paper’s Methods, under Data analysis (page unavailable), says its sample size was not chosen using a statistical method. It does not say that its sample sizes were similar to those in previous publications, nor can it establish that comparison for the citing authors’ sample sizes. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Compartments of PEN2 neurons in the protocerebral bridge respond entirely differently from their compartments in the ellipsoid body.

    “Similarly, compartments of PEN2 neurons in the protocerebral bridge have been shown to respond entirely differently from their compartments in the ellipsoid body (Green et al., 2017; Turner-Evans et al., 2019).”

    From A connectome and analysis of the adult Drosophila central brain (2020) · cites this paper as Green et al., 2017

    In “Spatiotemporal relationships across cells” (page unavailable), the paper reports that P-EN2 signals projected from the bridge predicted a broad valley, whereas imaging found a sharp peak in the ellipsoid body. But “entirely differently” overstates the contrast: the paper says the ellipsoid-body activity retained a turn-related asymmetry consistent with the bridge activity. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • The EB is known to be involved in navigation, supporting persistent activity correlated to heading direction.

    “Another well studied neuropil, the EB, is known to be involved in navigation, supporting persistent activity correlated to heading direction57–59.”
  • There is a single bump of activity in the EPG ensemble whose angular velocity generally correlates with the fly's angular velocity.

    “we found that there is a single bump of activity in the EPG ensemble whose angular velocity generally correlates with the fly’s angular velocity (Green et al., 2017; Seelig and Jayaraman, 2015; Turner-Evans et al., 2017).”

    From Neural circuit mechanisms for steering control in walking Drosophila (2025) · cites this paper as Green et al., 2017

  • The central complex is the primary locus of spatial computations in arthropods.

    “The central complex is the primary locus of spatial computations in arthropods.”

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Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. [6]Wehner R & Srinivasan M in The Neurobiology of Spatial Behaviour (ed. Jeffery KJ) Ch. 1 (Oxford Univ. Press, 2003).

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Authors
Green, J., Adachi, A., Shah, K. K., Hirokawa, J. D., Magani, P. S., & Maimon, G.
Affiliations
Rockefeller University (US)
Corresponding author
Maimon, Gaby
Venue
Nature
Published
2017-05-22
Volume
546
Issue
7656
Pages
101-106
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
OpenAlex
W2614915054
Cited by
331
References
43
Citations by year
2026: 24 · 2025: 41 · 2024: 39 · 2023: 39 · 2022: 37 · 2021: 30 · 2020: 31 · 2019: 41 · 2018: 31 · 2017: 17
FWCI
16.20
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • National Institutes of Health (P40OD018537)
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (DP2DA035148)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (R01NS104934)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Vestibular and auditory disorders
Keywords
central complex, angular integration, Drosophila, spatial navigation, persistent activity, turning behavior, neural circuit architecture, angular velocity
MeSH terms
Animals, Darkness, Drosophila melanogaster, Female, Flight, Animal, Models, Neurological, Neural Pathways, Neurons, Orientation, Rotation, Space Perception, Walking, Spatio-Temporal Analysis

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