Without an intricate system of neural signaling and muscle response, the flight of insects wouldn't look easy.
The two components of a fruit fly's flight stabilization system were pinpointed using a combination of targeted neural manipulation and magnetic perturbance. The researchers were able to identify two parts of the steering muscle system that are responsible for controlling the insect's pitch and movement. Evidence for an organizational principle in which each muscle has a specific function is provided by the finding.
The group's paper was published in December.
The team, led by senior author Itai Cohen, professor of physics in the College of Arts and Sciences, studied flies that had been genetically engineered to use optogenetics. The researchers were able to turn on or off specific motor neurons by shining a light on the fly.
The researchers were able to disrupt the fly's flight by applying a magnetic field to it. The researchers used three high-speed cameras to film the fly at 8,000 frames per second as it tried to recover from the turbulence.
The haltere is the remnants of the fly's third and fourth wings and serves as a balancing organ. The fly's 12 wing muscles are sent rapid feedback through a neural circuit by the haltere.
A proportional-integral controller is similar to a cruise-control system in cars.
Cohen said that the information from sensory systems is fed to the two components of the controller. "This combined signal determines, through the wing muscles, the new wing-strokeParameter that will provide a corrective aerodynamic Torque, which acts on the fly body, which then acts on the sensor, providing a closed Circuit."
The fly's b1 and b2 muscles were found to be responsible for the wing's forward sweep angle.
Nilay Yapici is an assistant professor of neurobiology and behavior, Jesse Goldberg is an associate professor of neurobiology and behavior, and Joseph Fetcho is a family investigator in the life sciences.
"What's at stake is understanding how a biological system like the fly implements a control strategy that's ubiquitous in human- engineered systems." Our findings are a first step in that direction, but also a proof of concept for future studies that explore these neural circuits more comprehensively.
The co-authors include researchers from several universities and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
There is more information on the Neuroscience embodiment of feedback control elements in flies. There is a book titled "Sci Adv.abo7461."
Journal information: Science Advances
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