Major
Neuroscience
Anticipated Graduation Year
2023
Access Type
Open Access
Abstract
The fruit fly brain contains ~150 central clock cells that keep time through a cell-autonomous molecular clock. Here, we used genetic techniques to electrically silence different clock cell populations and monitored the effect on feeding behavior and locomotor activity. We find that the severity of the effect of neuronal silencing varies according to the cell population targeted. Our results show that central clock cells regulate feeding and locomotor activity rhythms in parallel, suggesting that circadian control of these two distinct behavioral outputs diverges in downstream circadian output cells rather than in cells of the core clock network.
Faculty Mentors & Instructors
Daniel Cavanaugh, Associate Professor, Department of Biology
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Central Clock Control of Drosophila Behavioral Rhythms
The fruit fly brain contains ~150 central clock cells that keep time through a cell-autonomous molecular clock. Here, we used genetic techniques to electrically silence different clock cell populations and monitored the effect on feeding behavior and locomotor activity. We find that the severity of the effect of neuronal silencing varies according to the cell population targeted. Our results show that central clock cells regulate feeding and locomotor activity rhythms in parallel, suggesting that circadian control of these two distinct behavioral outputs diverges in downstream circadian output cells rather than in cells of the core clock network.