Fruit Flies' Sense of Smell: Unlocking Secrets of Brain Function and Genetics

Understanding how fruit flies process smells can provide insights into brain function and genetics, potentially benefiting human health and technology. Fruit flies rely heavily on their sense of smell to find food, avoid danger, mate, and locate egg-laying sites. Scents trigger specific patterns in the fly's brain, influencing its behavior. Professor Silke Sachse studies how neuronal circuits process smells and control behavior in insects. She moved from the Max Planck Institute to the University of Würzburg to lead the Neurobiology and Genetics department. Sachse explains that each scent creates a unique pattern in the brain, even in humans. The fruit fly's olfactory system is similar to that of humans, making it a useful model for research. Its simpler structure and genetic accessibility allow scientists to study brain mechanisms more easily. Genetically modified flies allow researchers to visualize which scents trigger specific brain patterns. Certain scents, crucial for survival, activate only one specific area in the fly's brain. For example, geosmin from mold and sex pheromones trigger unique responses. Sachse's team also found that the brain's response to attractive smells can change when paired with negative experiences, showing plasticity in brain regions previously thought to be fixed. Flies prioritize danger signals, like mold, over attractive smells, like ripe oranges. Sachse's research compares different fly species to understand the evolution of scent coding. Her work reveals fundamental principles of how brains process sensory information, with potential applications in understanding human neurological processes and developing new technologies.