Skip to main content

Main navigation

  • About BCS
    • Mission
    • History
    • Building 46
      • Building 46 Room Reservations
    • Leadership
    • Employment
    • Contact
      • Building 46 Email and Slack
    • Directory
  • Faculty + Research
    • Faculty
    • Areas of Research
    • Postdoctoral Research
      • Postdoctoral Association and Committee
    • Core Facilities
    • InBrain
      • InBRAIN Collaboration Data Sharing Policy
  • Academics
    • Course 9: Brain and Cognitive Sciences
    • Course 6-9: Computation and Cognition
      • Course 6-9 MEng
    • Brain and Cognitive Sciences PhD
      • How to Apply
      • Program Details
      • Classes
      • Research
      • Student Life
      • For Current Students
    • Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Program
      • How to Apply to MCN
      • MCN Faculty and Research Areas
      • MCN Curriculum
      • Model Systems
      • MCN Events
      • MCN FAQ
      • MCN Contacts
    • Computationally-Enabled Integrative Neuroscience Program
  • News + Events
    • News
    • Events
    • Recordings
    • Newsletter
  • Diversity + Equity + Inclusion
    • DEIJ Mission and Vision
    • Strategic Plan
    • Community and Culture
    • Resources
      • DEIJ Readings & Workshop Materials
      • Learning
      • Resources (MIT Login Required)
    • Outreach
      • MIT Summer Research Program (MSRP)
      • Post-Baccalaureate Research Scholars
      • Volunteer Opportunities
    • Get Involved / Upcoming Events

Utility Menu

  • Directory
  • Give to BCS
  • Apply to BCS
  • Contact Us

Footer

  • Contact Us
  • Employment
  • Be a Test Subject
  • Login

Footer 2

  • McGovern
  • Picower

Utility Menu

  • Directory
  • Give to BCS
  • Apply to BCS
  • Contact Us
Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Menu
MIT

Main navigation

  • About BCS
    • Mission
    • History
    • Building 46
    • Leadership
    • Employment
    • Contact
    • Directory
  • Faculty + Research
    • Faculty
    • Areas of Research
    • Postdoctoral Research
    • Core Facilities
    • InBrain
  • Academics
    • Course 9: Brain and Cognitive Sciences
    • Course 6-9: Computation and Cognition
    • Brain and Cognitive Sciences PhD
    • Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Program
    • Computationally-Enabled Integrative Neuroscience Program
  • News + Events
    • News
    • Events
    • Recordings
    • Newsletter
  • Diversity + Equity + Inclusion
    • DEIJ Mission and Vision
    • Strategic Plan
    • Community and Culture
    • Resources
    • Outreach
    • Get Involved / Upcoming Events

Drosophila

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Drosophila

Drosophila

Image
A male fruit fly perched on a blade of grass

The use of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster for neurobiological studies began in the 1960s with Seymour Benzer’s systematic efforts to exploit the genetic tractability of Drosophila to isolate a variety of behavioral mutants affecting phototaxis, courtship, circadian rhythm, and learning. The realization that larval body wall muscles were large and readily accessible for electrophysiological assays stimulated studies at the cellular level and provided a foundation for isolating and characterizing mutants that perturbed neuronal signaling. The appeal of this genetic strategy was that it offered the possibility of identifying genes encoding key proteins such as ion channels and thereby provided a molecular handle for these proteins that had been difficult to isolate biochemically. In addition, Drosophila offers great promise for dissecting the molecular circuitry underling a host of complex neurological behaviors, from learning to courtship.  To learn more about work being done using the Drosophila model at MIT, visit the lab site of J. Troy Littleton.

Don't miss our next newsletter!
Sign Up

Footer menu

  • Contact Us
  • Employment
  • Be a Test Subject
  • Login

Footer 2

  • McGovern
  • Picower
Brain and Cognitive Sciences

MIT Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

77 Massachusetts Avenue, Room 46-2005

Cambridge, MA 02139-4307 | (617) 253-5748

For Emergencies | Accessibility | Adapting to COVID

Massachusetts Institute of Technology