# The Neural Circuit Basis of Olfactory Navigation in Adult Drosophila

> **NIH NIH RF1** · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · 2022 · $1,717,171

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
In order to forage effectively for food, the brain must integrate innate and learned information about the
value of different food odors and use this information to select navigational motor programs. Although a
great deal is known about how the brain computes the value of odor stimuli, how it uses this information
to guide navigation remains mysterious. Here we propose to investigate the role of a conserved
navigation center, the fan-shaped body (FB), in olfactory navigation. The FB receives a large number of
inputs that are anatomically downstream of innate and learned olfactory processing centers. We have
identified several lines labeling such inputs that respond to attractive odor and drive upwind orientation
when activated. Here we will use whole-cell electrophysiology and imaging to investigate the
representation of innate and learned odor value signals in FB input neurons. By combining these
functional data with detailed connectomic information, we will generate quantitative models that relate
sensory representations to anatomical connectivity. Next we will use both synchronous and asynchronous
recordings to measure and model the relationship between FB neuron activity and navigational action
selection. Finally, we will develop a new optogenetic plume assay that will allow us to determine the role
of FB neurons in different aspects of odor plume navigation. Together these experiments and models will
generate testable predictions about how the organization of central navigation circuits supports a critical
goal-directed behavior, odor-guided food search.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10447440
- **Project number:** 1RF1NS127129-01
- **Recipient organization:** NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Katherine Nagel
- **Activity code:** RF1 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $1,717,171
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-03-15 → 2025-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10447440

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10447440, The Neural Circuit Basis of Olfactory Navigation in Adult Drosophila (1RF1NS127129-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10447440. Licensed CC0.

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