The role of the mushroom bodies and of the central complex of Drosophila melanogaster brain in the organization of courtship behavior and communicative sound production

Abstract

The role of the mushroom bodies and of the central complex of Drosophila melanogaster brain in the control of courtship behavior and sound production was studied by comparative analysis of courtship characteristics and singing parameters in wild type males (Canton S and Berlin), in Berlin males treated with hydroxyurea (HU) during development and thus devoid of the mushroom bodies (chemical ablation of the mushroom bodies) and in males from three mutant strains with anatomical defects in different parts of the central complex. It was shown that the mushroom bodies were practically not involved in this function, whereas the central complex plays a very important role in the organization of courtship behavior, in the control of accuracy of male following movements during the pursuit of a female, in the control of form stability of sound elements in courtship songs, in the control of rhythmic structure of courtship songs determined by the stability of the respective pacemakers and in setting up a correspondence between the current behavior and the context of the external situation. The contribution of different substructures of the central body to realization of these functions is different. So, despite the thoracic “song center” in Drosophila contains all the necessary elements for the generation of normal courtship signals of all types, modulating and stabilizing influences from the highest brain centers are necessary for the choice of its operating mode corresponding to the context of the external situation and for maintenance of its stability.