A Single-fly Assay for Foraging Behavior in Drosophila |
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Authors: | Orel A. Zaninovich Susy M. Kim Cory R. Root David S. Green Kang I. Ko Jing W. Wang |
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Affiliation: | 1.Neurobiology Section, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California-San Diego;2.Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University;3.Dart NeuroScience;4.School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania |
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Abstract: | For many animals, hunger promotes changes in the olfactory system in a manner that facilitates the search for appropriate food sources. In this video article, we describe an automated assay to measure the effect of hunger or satiety on olfactory dependent food search behavior in the adult fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. In a light-tight box illuminated by red light that is invisible to fruit flies, a camera linked to custom data acquisition software monitors the position of six flies simultaneously. Each fly is confined to walk in individual arenas containing a food odor at the center. The testing arenas rest on a porous floor that functions to prevent odor accumulation. Latency to locate the odor source, a metric that reflects olfactory sensitivity under different physiological states, is determined by software analysis. Here, we discuss the critical mechanics of running this behavioral paradigm and cover specific issues regarding fly loading, odor contamination, assay temperature, data quality, and statistical analysis. |
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Keywords: | Neuroscience Issue 81 Drosophila olfaction neuromodulation chemotaxis hunger nervous system behavioral sciences |
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