Philipp Schlegel (University of Cambridge/MRC LMB).
DECRYPTION – Thanks to artificial intelligence, an international consortium published in the journal Nature a complete representation of the neurons of a Drosophila. This advance offers new perspectives for better understanding the human brain.
The review Nature published the first-ever comprehensive mapping of neurons and their synaptic connections in the brain of a Drosophila fly. We call this a « connectome ». This representation has 129,255 neurons and 50 million connections between them. The researchers have not yet determined the exact role of each neuron, but their innovative use of artificial intelligence is an advance that will significantly accelerate neuroscience research, with new perspectives for better understanding the human brain. This study was carried out by the FlyWire Consortium, a collaboration between international scientists.
The fruit fly is one of the favorite animals of researchers, particularly in neuroscience, because of its small brain and its behaviors similar to those of larger animals: it can form memories, learn and adopt skilled social behaviors…
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