Many insects use patterns of polarized light in the sky to orient and navigate. Here, we
functionally characterize neural circuitry in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, that …

In insects, visual information is processed in the optic lobe and conveyed to the central
brain. Although neural circuits within the optic lobe have been studied extensively, relatively …

Visual projection neurons (VPNs) provide an anatomical connection between early visual
processing and higher brain regions. Here we characterize lobula columnar (LC) cells, a …

Highlights•Behavioral decisions require interactions between regions throughout the fly
brain.•Three paths convey distinct visual information to central brain areas.•Optic glomeruli …

The Drosophila central brain consists of stereotyped neural lineages, developmental-
structural units of macrocircuitry formed by the sibling neurons of single progenitors called …

Highlights•Insects offer experimental advantages for the study of basic elements of
cognition.•Insect behaviors suggest the use of sophisticated internal representations.• …

Understanding how the brain controls behaviour is undisputedly one of the grand goals of
neuroscience research, and the pursuit of this goal has a long tradition in insect …

To integrate changing environmental cues with high spatial and temporal resolution is
critical for animals to orient themselves. Drosophila larvae show an effective motor program …

All organisms wishing to survive and reproduce must be able to respond adaptively to a
complex, changing world. Yet the computational power available is constrained by biology …

Animals navigating in natural environments must handle vast changes in their sensory input.
Visual systems, for example, handle changes in luminance at many timescales, from slow …