Animals exhibit behavioral repertoires that are often innate and result in stereotyped sexual and social responses to their environment. Innate behaviors do not require learning or experience and are likely to reflect the activation of developmentally programmed neural circuits. We are interested in the nature of defined neural circuits: how activation of circuits elicits specific behaviors.

It has been extremely difficult in complex organisms to study a circuit beyond the early stages of sensory processing. Drosophila melanogaster is an attractive model system to understand a circuit because flies exhibit complex behaviors that are controlled by a nervous system that is numerically five orders of magnitude simpler than that of vertebrates.

We use a combined behavioral, genetic, imaging and electrophysiological approach to determine how defined neural circuits and their activation elicit specific behaviors.

Maria Luísa Vasconcelos, PhD
Principal Investigator
maria.vasconcelos@neuro.fchampalimaud.org

Biography

Cecilia Mezzera, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher
cecilia.mezzera@neuro.fchampalimaud.org

Cristina Ferreira
2013 INDP PhD Student
cristina.ferreira@neuro.fchampalimaud.org

Eliane Ochôa Arez
External PhD Student
eliane.carvalho@neuro.fchampaliamaud.org

Hugo Cachitas
Software Developer
hugo.cachitas@neuro.fchampalimaud.org

Margarida Brotas
Masters Student
margarida.brotas@research.fchampalimaud.org

Miguel Gaspar
2014 INDP PhD Student
miguel.gaspar@neuro.fchampalimaud.org

Biography

Sophie Dias
Research Technician
sophie.dias@neuro.fchampalimaud.org

Lab Administration

Margarida Nunes
Lab Administrator
margarida.nunes@research.fchampalimaud.org

Mezzera C, Brotas M, Gaspar M, Pavlou HJ, Goodwin SF, Vasconcelos ML (2020) Ovipositor extrusion promotes the transition from courtship to copulation and signals female acceptance in Drosophila melanogaster Curr. Biol.

Varela N, Gaspar M, Dias S, Vasconcelos ML. (2019) Avoidance response to CO2 in the lateral horn PLoS Biol. (doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.2006749)

Aranha MM, Vasconcelos ML (2018) Deciphering Drosophila female innate behaviors Curr. Opin. Neurobiol.

Zacarias R; Namiki S; Card G; Vasconcelos ML; Moita MA (2018) Speed dependent descending control of innate freezing behavior in Drosophila melanogaster Nat Commun (doi:10.1038/s41467-018-05875-1)

Aranha MM, Herrmann D, Cachitas H, Neto-Silva RM, Dias S, Vasconcelos ML (2017) apterous Brain Neurons Control Receptivity to Male Courtship in Drosophila Melanogaster Females Sci Rep 7 , 46242 (doi:10.1038/srep46242)

Aranha MM, Vasconcelos ML (2016) Willing and able: the coordination between sexual displays and fertility Neuron

Bräcker LB, Siju KP, Varela N, Aso Y, Zhang M, Hein I, Vasconcelos ML, Grunwald Kadow IC. (2013) Essential Role of the Mushroom Body in Context-Dependent CO2 Avoidance in Drosophila. Curr. Biol. 23 (13), 1228-34 (doi:10.1016/j.cub.2013.05.029)

Ruta V, Datta SR, Vasconcelos ML, Freeland J, Looger LL, Axel R (2010) A dimorphic pheromone circuit in Drosophila from sensory input to descending output. Nature 468 , 686-90 (doi:10.1038/nature09554)

Datta SR*, Vasconcelos ML*, Ruta V, Luo S, Wong A, Demir E, Flores J, Balonze K, Dickson BJ, Axel R (2008) The Drosophila pheromone cVA activates a sexually dimorphic neural circuit. Nature 452 , 473-7 (doi:10.1038/nature06808)

Zhan XL, Clemens JC, Neves G, Hattori D, Flanagan JJ, Hummel T, Vasconcelos ML, Chess A, Zipursky SL (2004) Analysis of Dscam diversity in regulating axon guidance in Drosophila mushroom bodies. Neuron 43 (5), 673-86 (doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2004.07.020)

Hummel T*, Vasconcelos ML*, Clemens JC, Fishilevich Y, Vosshall LB, Zipursky SL (2003) Axonal Targeting of Olfactory Receptor Neurons in Drosophila is Controlled by Dscam. Neuron 37 (2), 221-231 (doi:10.1016/S0896-6273(02)01183-2)

Dronkert ML, de Wit J, Boeve M, Vasconcelos ML, Van Steeg H, Tan TL, Hoeijmakers JH, Kanaar R (2000) Disruption of SNM1 causes increased sensitivity to the DNA interstrand cross-linking agent mitomycin. Mol. Cell. Biol. 20 (13), 4553-61 (doi:10.1128/?MCB.20.13.4553-4561.2000 )