# Multi-sensory representations for navigation in the central brain of Drosophila

> **NIH NIH R01** · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · 2024 · $590,540

## Abstract

Project Summary
In order to translate multi-modal sensory information into goal-directed behavior, both brains and artificial
neural networks construct abstract internal representations. The nature, mechanistic origin, and function of
these internal representations are currently a subject of high interest. Here we propose to investigate two
circuits in the central brain of Drosophila the allow multi-modal sensory information to be translated into goal-
directed navigation. First, we will examine the integration of optic flow, airflow, and locomotor information in the
columnar input pathway to the fan-shaped body, a part of the Drosophila navigation system. We hypothesize
that this circuit allows the fly to adapt to altered sensory input and to disambiguate sensation caused by its own
movement from that caused by external stimuli. Second, we will investigate the dynamics of chemo-sensory
and self-motion representations in local neurons of the fan-shaped body. We will test the connectome-driven
hypothesis that recurrent excitation and global inhibition interact to shape the distinct spatio-temporal dynamics
of representations in different neuron types. Finally, we will use computational approaches to investigate the
function of these representations. We will construct circuit models based on experimental data to test the
proposed function of each circuit and also examine the conditions under which artificial neural network trained
to perform ethological navigation tasks develop similar internal representations. Together these experimental
and computational investigations will yield insight into the nature, circuit origins, and function of multi-modal
internal representations.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10882605
- **Project number:** 2R01DC017979-06
- **Recipient organization:** NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Katherine Nagel
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $590,540
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2019-07-01 → 2029-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10882605

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10882605, Multi-sensory representations for navigation in the central brain of Drosophila (2R01DC017979-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-01 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10882605. Licensed CC0.

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