Neural circuits underlying context-dependent competition between defensive actions in Drosophila larvae
Abstract To ensure their survival, animals must be able to respond adaptively to threats within their environment. However, the precise neural circuit mechanisms that underlie flexible defensive behaviors remain poorly understood. Using neuronal manipulations, machine learning-based behavioral detec...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56185-2 |
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| author | Maxime Lehman Chloé Barré Md Amit Hasan Benjamin Flament Sandra Autran Neena Dhiman Peter Soba Jean-Baptiste Masson Tihana Jovanic |
| author_facet | Maxime Lehman Chloé Barré Md Amit Hasan Benjamin Flament Sandra Autran Neena Dhiman Peter Soba Jean-Baptiste Masson Tihana Jovanic |
| author_sort | Maxime Lehman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract To ensure their survival, animals must be able to respond adaptively to threats within their environment. However, the precise neural circuit mechanisms that underlie flexible defensive behaviors remain poorly understood. Using neuronal manipulations, machine learning-based behavioral detection, electron microscopy (EM) connectomics and calcium imaging in Drosophila larvae, we map second-order interneurons that are differentially involved in the competition between defensive actions in response to competing aversive cues. We find that mechanosensory stimulation inhibits escape behaviors in favor of startle behaviors by influencing the activity of escape-promoting second-order interneurons. Stronger activation of those neurons inhibits startle-like behaviors. This suggests that competition between startle and escape behaviors occurs at the level of second-order interneurons. Finally, we identify a pair of descending neurons that promote startle behaviors and could modulate the escape sequence. Taken together, these results characterize the pathways involved in startle and escape competition, which is modulated by the sensory context. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e61fdca3c15544ecb2032abb20e10197 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-e61fdca3c15544ecb2032abb20e101972025-02-02T12:31:52ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-01-0116112110.1038/s41467-025-56185-2Neural circuits underlying context-dependent competition between defensive actions in Drosophila larvaeMaxime Lehman0Chloé Barré1Md Amit Hasan2Benjamin Flament3Sandra Autran4Neena Dhiman5Peter Soba6Jean-Baptiste Masson7Tihana Jovanic8Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut des neurosciences Paris-SaclayInstitut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, IHU reConnect, IHU ICE, CNRS UMR 3571, Decision and Bayesian ComputationUniversité Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut des neurosciences Paris-SaclayUniversité Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut des neurosciences Paris-SaclayUniversité Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut des neurosciences Paris-SaclayInstitute of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-NürnbergInstitute of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-NürnbergInstitut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, IHU reConnect, IHU ICE, CNRS UMR 3571, Decision and Bayesian ComputationUniversité Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut des neurosciences Paris-SaclayAbstract To ensure their survival, animals must be able to respond adaptively to threats within their environment. However, the precise neural circuit mechanisms that underlie flexible defensive behaviors remain poorly understood. Using neuronal manipulations, machine learning-based behavioral detection, electron microscopy (EM) connectomics and calcium imaging in Drosophila larvae, we map second-order interneurons that are differentially involved in the competition between defensive actions in response to competing aversive cues. We find that mechanosensory stimulation inhibits escape behaviors in favor of startle behaviors by influencing the activity of escape-promoting second-order interneurons. Stronger activation of those neurons inhibits startle-like behaviors. This suggests that competition between startle and escape behaviors occurs at the level of second-order interneurons. Finally, we identify a pair of descending neurons that promote startle behaviors and could modulate the escape sequence. Taken together, these results characterize the pathways involved in startle and escape competition, which is modulated by the sensory context.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56185-2 |
| spellingShingle | Maxime Lehman Chloé Barré Md Amit Hasan Benjamin Flament Sandra Autran Neena Dhiman Peter Soba Jean-Baptiste Masson Tihana Jovanic Neural circuits underlying context-dependent competition between defensive actions in Drosophila larvae Nature Communications |
| title | Neural circuits underlying context-dependent competition between defensive actions in Drosophila larvae |
| title_full | Neural circuits underlying context-dependent competition between defensive actions in Drosophila larvae |
| title_fullStr | Neural circuits underlying context-dependent competition between defensive actions in Drosophila larvae |
| title_full_unstemmed | Neural circuits underlying context-dependent competition between defensive actions in Drosophila larvae |
| title_short | Neural circuits underlying context-dependent competition between defensive actions in Drosophila larvae |
| title_sort | neural circuits underlying context dependent competition between defensive actions in drosophila larvae |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56185-2 |
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