Scientists have mapped the complete central nervous system of the adult male fruit fly, detailing all 166,000 neurons and their connections. This map, combined with a previously created map of the female fly brain, will allow researchers to investigate neurological differences between the sexes and how those differences relate to behavior.
The new map details over 166,000 neurons in the male fruit fly brain and nerve cord. This builds upon a 2024 map of the female fruit fly brain, which covered approximately 140,000 neurons. Study co-author Gerry Rubin, head of biology and a senior group leader of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Janelia Research Campus, stated, “It is the first time we can compare both sexes of an animal with complex social behavior.” Researchers aim to understand how brain structure controls behavioral differences, particularly those seen during mating and aggressive interactions.
The maps, referred to as “connectomes,” were initially released as a preprint and were published in the journals *Cell* and *Current Biology* on September 3. The publication of the map was accompanied by three additional studies that utilize the new data to explore various aspects of fruit fly neurobiology. Carlos Ribeiro, a principal investigator at the Champalimaud Foundation in Lisbon, Portugal, noted that the fly nervous system’s efficiency “could suggest principles for designing more efficient artificial systems.” He also suggested the work provides a “technical roadmap for more ambitious connectomics projects in the future, such as those for mice and humans.”
Ribeiro’s team, alongside other Champalimaud Foundation scientists, focused one study on mapping the circuits in the fly brain responsible for the insect’s sense of taste. Fruit flies possess taste receptors throughout their bodies, including their legs, wings, mouthparts, and throat.
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