Social attraction in Drosophila is regulated by the mushroom body and serotonergic system

Nat Commun. 2020 Oct 22;11(1):5350. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-19102-3.

Abstract

Sociality is among the most important motivators of human behaviour. However, the neural mechanisms determining levels of sociality are largely unknown, primarily due to a lack of suitable animal models. Here, we report the presence of a surprising degree of general sociality in Drosophila. A newly-developed paradigm to study social approach behaviour in flies reveal that social cues perceive through both vision and olfaction converged in a central brain region, the γ lobe of the mushroom body, which exhibite activation in response to social experience. The activity of these γ neurons control the motivational drive for social interaction. At the molecular level, the serotonergic system is critical for social affinity. These results demonstrate that Drosophila are highly sociable, providing a suitable model system for elucidating the mechanisms underlying the motivation for sociality.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Animals, Genetically Modified
  • Behavior, Animal / physiology*
  • Brain / physiology
  • Cues
  • Drosophila melanogaster / genetics
  • Drosophila melanogaster / physiology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Motivation / physiology
  • Mushroom Bodies / physiology
  • Nerve Net / physiology
  • Sensation / physiology
  • Serotonergic Neurons / physiology
  • Social Behavior*