Detailed Wiring Diagram of Fruit Fly Muscles Reveals Unexpected Complexity

Studies on fruit flies are shedding light on the complex neural coordination of movements, enhancing our understanding of motor neuron functionality.

Scientists are developing a wiring diagram of the motor circuits in fruit flies’ central nervous system that control their muscles. This diagram, which is called a connectome, has already provided insights into the complex coordination between the nerves controlling leg and wing movements.

Complexity in Simple Creatures
While fruit flies seem like simple creatures, the researchers said their motor system contains “an unexpected level of complexity.”

“A typical fly motor neuron receives thousands of synapses from hundreds of presynaptic premotor neurons,” the scientists observed. “This number is on par with the scale of synaptic integration in pyramidal cells of the rodent cortex.”