The Drosophila Standard Brain

Abstract

Organisms and organs come in sizes and shapes. With size, science has no problems, but how to quantify shape? How similar are two birds or two brains? This problem is particularly pressing in cases like brains where structure reflects function. The problem is not new, but satisfying solutions have yet to be worked out. For brain anatomy, no general methodology for a statistically secured quantitative description is available. Using the small brain of the fly Drosophila melanogaster, we have explored a new approach combining immunohistochemistry, high-resolution 3D confocal microscopy, and advanced graphics computing. For a genetic model organism such as Drosophila, a quantitative assessment of brain structure is particularly rewarding, since it allows for the identification of genetic variants with subtle brain structure phenotypes and, even more importantly, the organization of the wealth of gene expression patterns in the brain into a genetic atlas linking molecular and organismic gene function. We now provide a representative standard for the brain of D. melanogaster wild-type with means and variances for several aspects of its shape. Its application to volumetry, mutants, and gene expression patterns is demonstrated.

Synaptic circuits and their variations within different columns in the visual system of Drosophila

“…methods to make such reconstructions semiautomatically (18,19) and applied these reconstruction methods to the second visual relay station, or optic medulla, the largest neuropil of the fly's brain (20).…”

Novel antennal lobe substructures revealed in the small hive beetle Aethina tumida

“…The brain contains all typical neuropils known from most insects including neuropils of the optic lobes, the antennal lobes, mushroom body and neuropils of the central complex (e.g. Drosophila melanogaster, Rein et al, 2002; honeybee Apis mellifera, Brandt et al, 2005; desert locust Schistocerca gregaria, Kurylas et al, 2008;sphinx moth Manduca sexta, el Jundi et al, 2009; red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum, Dreyer et al, 2010). We reconstructed all neuropils that were clearly identifiable and separable (8 paired and 3 unpaired neuropils).…”

Neural Lineages of theDrosophilaBrain: A Three-Dimensional Digital Atlas of the Pattern of Lineage Location and Projection at the Late Larval Stage

“…Brain models of invertebrates, notably the fly brain (Rein et al, 2002;Younossi-Hartenstein et al, 2003), are currently at a qualitatively similar level of resolution. Structurally defined brain compartments, visualized in a pool of samples, are "normalized" and can be assembled into a "standard brain" (Rein et al, 1999(Rein et al, , 2002.…”

“…Finally, an important application of a lineage atlas rests in its use as a repository for functional and genetic data. This application is very actively pursued by many groups working with the human brain (Mazziotta et al, 2001;Toga et al, 2001;Thompson et al, 2002), as well as numerous animal model organisms (Carson et al, 2002;Lein et al, 2004;Visel et al, 2004), including Drosophila (Rein et al, 2002;Pereanu and Hartenstein, 2004). Used in this way, digital models may serve as three-dimensional archives of function, pathology, and gene/protein expression patterns.…”