Research Summary

Memories define us and mold our personalities. Using genetic tools, we have identified genes and neural substrates required for memory-associated behaviors in Drosophila. We investigate when, where and how memory-associated gene products function to produce memory-based behaviors and how memory mechanisms are affected by physiological changes such as aging.

In addition to behavioral and genetic approaches, we use in vivo and ex vivo imaging techniques to characterize physiological properties of memory-associated neural networks. Our goal is to understand how the brain forms associations between specific sensory signals and positive and negative preferences, how these associations are stored in the brain in neural memory networks, and how they are later recalled at appropriate times. We further aim to understand how memory-associated genes and neuromodulatory systems regulate function of these networks.

Lower left, schematic diagram of our in vivo imaging set-up. A living fly is fixed under a microscope and can be exposed to both odors and electrical shocks. Neuronal activity can be observed during formation, storage, and retrieval of odor-shock associative memories. Lower right, in our ex vivo imaging set-up, we can make artificial memories in cultured brains by stimulating odor and shock sensory pathways.