Single Fly Tethered Paradigms

Abstract

The most successful approaches for studying visual perception and visual learning in Drosophila have been single fly paradigms in which tethered individuals respond to different visual stimuli, as described here. The equipment and protocols involved are quite sophisticated and differ depending on whether behavior or electrophysiology will be pursued. For either approach, flies must first be secured to a metal wire. This is typically performed by first cooling flies down to 4°C and then gluing them to a copper or tungsten wire with ultraviolet (UV)-activated cement. For electrophysiology, tethering requires a few extra steps to accommodate the placement of electrodes. Prepared individuals are then placed inside a cylindrical arena where images can be presented, or in front of a computer screen or even in front of a laptop. Flight dynamics or brain activity in response to visual stimuli is recorded by using a variety of specialized and/or commercially available electronic devices.