The Dickson laboratory investigates the neural circuits that control walking in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. The goal is to understand how local circuits in the nerve cord produce rhythmic motor patterns, how these patterns are co-ordinated across each leg joint and all six legs, and how descending signals from the brain modulate these operations to alter the fly's direction, speed and gait.
The lab started operation at QBI in August 2015. The immediate task was to set up the equipment needed to measure and manipulate neuronal activity in the live nerve cord. Genetically encoded activity reporters and modulators, together with fast volumetric imaging, make it possible to simultaneously monitor the activity of large populations of neurons while acutely manipulating the output of one specific cell type. With this approach, it should be possible to systematically explore the operating principles of the locomotor circuits in the fly's central nervous system.
This system was almost fully functional by year's end, so that the group can now focus on three complementary goals: (1) further expanding the collection of genetic tools that can be used to target activity modulators and reporters to specific cell types, (2) investigating how activity patterns in the nerve cord respond to a descending signal that triggers backward walking, and (3) searching for a complementary descending pathway that initiates forward walking.
Group leader
Professor Barry Dickson
Professor, Queensland Brain Institute
+61 7 334 66328
b.dickson@uq.edu.au
UQ Researcher Profile
- Professor Ansgar Büschges, University of Cologne, Germany
- Professor Richard Mann, Columbia University, New York
- Professor Silvia Daun-Gruhn, University of Cologne, Cermany
- Dr Gwyneth Card, Janelia Research Campus, HHMI, U.S.A.
- Dr Julie Simpson, Janelia Research Campus, HHMI, U.S.A.
Functional architecture of neural circuits for leg proprioception in Drosophila
Chen, Chenghao, Agrawal, Sweta, Mark, Brandon, Mamiya, Akira, Sustar, Anne, Phelps, Jasper S., Lee, Wei-Chung Allen, Dickson, Barry J., Card, Gwyneth M. and Tuthill, John C. (2021). Functional architecture of neural circuits for leg proprioception in Drosophila. Current Biology, 31 (23), 5163-5175.e7. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.09.035
Sterne, Gabriella R., Otsuna, Hideo, Dickson, Barry J. and Scott, Kristin (2021). Classification and genetic targeting of cell types in the primary taste and premotor center of the adult Drosophila brain. eLife, 10 e71679. doi: 10.7554/elife.71679
Distributed control of motor circuits for backward walking in Drosophila
Feng, Kai, Sen, Rajyashree, Minegishi, Ryo, Dübbert, Michael, Bockemühl, Till, Büschges, Ansgar and Dickson, Barry J. (2020). Distributed control of motor circuits for backward walking in Drosophila. Nature Communications, 11 (1) 6166, 6166. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-19936-x
Neural circuit mechanisms of sexual receptivity in Drosophila females
Wang, Kaiyu, Wang, Fei, Forknall, Nora, Yang, Tansy, Patrick, Christopher, Parekh, Ruchi and Dickson, Barry J. (2020). Neural circuit mechanisms of sexual receptivity in Drosophila females. Nature, 589 (7843), 577-581. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2972-7
Controlling motor neurons of every muscle for fly proboscis reaching
McKellar, Claire E., Siwanowicz, Igor, Dickson, Barry J. and Simpson, Julie H. (2020). Controlling motor neurons of every muscle for fly proboscis reaching. eLife, 9 e54978, 1-34. doi: 10.7554/elife.54978
Circuit and behavioral mechanisms of sexual rejection by Drosophila females
Wang, Fei, Wang, Kaiyu, Forknall, Nora, Parekh, Ruchi and Dickson, Barry J. (2020). Circuit and behavioral mechanisms of sexual rejection by Drosophila females. Current Biology, 30 (19), 3749-3760.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.07.083
Neural circuitry linking mating and egg laying in Drosophila females
Wang, Fei, Wang, Kaiyu, Forknall, Nora, Patrick, Christopher, Yang, Tansy, Parekh, Ruchi, Bock, Davi and Dickson, Barry J. (2020). Neural circuitry linking mating and egg laying in Drosophila females. Nature, 579 (7797), 101-105. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2055-9
TwoLumps ascending neurons mediate touch-evoked reversal of walking direction in Drosophila
Sen, Rajyashree, Wang, Kaiyu and Dickson, Barry J. (2019). TwoLumps ascending neurons mediate touch-evoked reversal of walking direction in Drosophila. Current Biology, 29 (24), 4337-4344.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.11.004
Split-QF system for fine-tuned transgene expression in
Riabinina, Olena, Vernon, Samuel W., Dickson, Barry J. and Baines, Richard A. (2019). Split-QF system for fine-tuned transgene expression in. Genetics, 212 (1), 53-63. doi: 10.1534/genetics.119.302034
Neural evolution of context-dependent fly song
Ding, Yun, Lillvis, Joshua L., Cande, Jessica, Berman, Gordon J., Arthur, Benjamin J., Long, Xi, Xu, Min, Dickson, Barry J. and Stern, David L. (2019). Neural evolution of context-dependent fly song. Current Biology, 29 (7), 1089-1099.e7. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.02.019
Threshold-based ordering of sequential actions during Drosophila courtship
McKellar, Claire E., Lillvis, Joshua L., Bath, Daniel E., Fitzgerald, James E., Cannon, John G., Simpson, Julie H. and Dickson, Barry J. (2019). Threshold-based ordering of sequential actions during Drosophila courtship. Current Biology, 29 (3), 426-434.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.12.019
Visual projection neurons mediating directed courtship in Drosophila
Ribeiro, Inês M. A., Drews, Michael, Bahl, Armin, Machacek, Christian, Borst, Alexander and Dickson, Barry J. (2018). Visual projection neurons mediating directed courtship in Drosophila. Cell, 174 (3), 607-621. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.06.020
Connecting Neural Codes with Behavior in the Auditory System of Drosophila
Clemens, Jan, Girardin, Cyrille C, Coen, Philip, Guan, Xiao-Juan, Dickson, Barry J. and Murthy, Mala (2018). Connecting Neural Codes with Behavior in the Auditory System of Drosophila. Neuron, 97 (2), 475-475. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2017.12.033
Persistent activity in a recurrent circuit underlies courtship memory in Drosophila
Zhao, Xiaoliang, Lenek, Daniela, Dag, Ugur, Dickson, Barry J. and Keleman, Krystyna (2018). Persistent activity in a recurrent circuit underlies courtship memory in Drosophila. eLife, 7 e31425. doi: 10.7554/eLife.31425
Moonwalker descending neurons mediate visually evoked retreat in Drosophila
Sen, Rajyashree, Wu, Ming, Branson, Kristin, Robie, Alice, Rubin, Gerald M. and Dickson, Barry J. (2017). Moonwalker descending neurons mediate visually evoked retreat in Drosophila. Current Biology, 27 (5), 766-771. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.02.008
NOX1 and NOX4 are required for the differentiation of mouse F9 cells into extraembryonic endoderm
Dickson, Benjamin J., Gatie, Mohamed I., Spice, Danielle M. and Kelly, Gregory M. (2017). NOX1 and NOX4 are required for the differentiation of mouse F9 cells into extraembryonic endoderm. PLoS One, 12 (2), e0170812. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0170812
Visualization and quantification for interactive analysis of neural connectivity in Drosophila
Swoboda, N., Moosburner, J., Bruckner, S., Yu, J. Y., Dickson, B. J. and Buhler, K. (2017). Visualization and quantification for interactive analysis of neural connectivity in Drosophila. Computer Graphics Forum, 36 (1), 160-171. doi: 10.1111/cgf.12792
Editorial overview: neurobiology of sex
Dulac, Catherine and Dickson, Barry J. (2016). Editorial overview: neurobiology of sex. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 38, A1-A3. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2016.06.001
Trapp, Martin, Schulze, Florian, Novikov, Alexey A., Tirian, Laszlo, Dickson, Barry J. and Buhler, Kayja (2016). Adaptive and background-aware GAL4 expression enhancement of co-registered confocal microscopy images. Neuroinformatics, 14 (2), 221-233. doi: 10.1007/s12021-015-9289-y
Connecting neural codes with behavior in the auditory system of Drosophila
Clemens, Jan, Girardin, Cyrille C., Coen, Philip, Guan, Xiao-Juan, Dickson, Barry J. and Murthy, Mala (2015). Connecting neural codes with behavior in the auditory system of Drosophila. Neuron, 87 (6), 1332-1343. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2015.08.014
Functional specialization of neural input elements to the Drosophila ON motion detector
Ammer, Georg, Leonhardt, Aljoscha, Bahl, Armin, Dickson, Barry J. and Borst, Alexander (2015). Functional specialization of neural input elements to the Drosophila ON motion detector. Current Biology, 25 (17), 2247-2253. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2015.07.014
Ordan, Elly, Brankatschk, Marko, Dickson, Barry, Schnorrer, Frank and Volk, Talila (2015). Slit cleavage is essential for producing an active, stable, non-diffusible short-range signal that guides muscle migration. Development , 142 (8), 1431-1436. doi: 10.1242/dev.119131
Diversity and wiring variability of visual local neurons in the Drosophila medulla M6 stratum
Chin, An-Lun, Lin, Chih-Yung, Fu, Tsai-Feng, Dickson, Barry J. and Chiang, Ann-Shyn (2014). Diversity and wiring variability of visual local neurons in the Drosophila medulla M6 stratum. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 522 (17), 3795-3816. doi: 10.1002/cne.23622
Ascending SAG neurons control sexual receptivity of Drosophila females
Feng, Kai, Palfreyman, Mark T., Häsemeyer, Martin, Talsma, Aaron and Dickson, Barry J. (2014). Ascending SAG neurons control sexual receptivity of Drosophila females. Neuron, 83 (1), 135-148. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2014.05.017
Abdominal-B neurons control Drosophila virgin female receptivity
Bussell, Jennifer J., Yapici, Nilay, Zhang, Stephen X., Dickson, Barry J. and Vosshall, Leslie B. (2014). Abdominal-B neurons control Drosophila virgin female receptivity. Current Biology, 24 (14), 1584-1595. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2014.06.011
FlyMAD: Rapid thermogenetic control of neuronal activity in freely walking Drosophila
Bath, Daniel E., Stowers, John R., Hoermann, Dorothea, Poehlmann, Andreas, Dickson, Barry J. and Straw, Andrew D. (2014). FlyMAD: Rapid thermogenetic control of neuronal activity in freely walking Drosophila. Nature Methods, 11 (7), 756-762. doi: 10.1038/nmeth.2973
Structure-based neuron retrieval across Drosophila brains
Ganglberger, Florian, Schulze, Florian, Tirian, Laszlo, Novikov, Alexey, Dickson, Barry, Bühler, Katja and Langs, Georg (2014). Structure-based neuron retrieval across Drosophila brains. Neuroinformatics, 12 (3), 423-34. doi: 10.1007/s12021-014-9219-4
Neuronal control of Drosophila walking direction
Bidaye, Salil S., Machacek, Christian, Wu, Yang and Dickson, Barry J. (2014). Neuronal control of Drosophila walking direction. Science, 344 (6179), 97-101. doi: 10.1126/science.1249964
Cellular and behavioral functions of fruitless isoforms in Drosophila courtship
von Philipsborn, Anne C., Joerchel, Sabrina, Tirian, Laszlo, Demir, Ebru, Morita, Tomoko, Stern, David L. and Dickson, Barry J. (2014). Cellular and behavioral functions of fruitless isoforms in Drosophila courtship. Current Biology, 24 (3), 242-251. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2013.12.015
Neural circuit components of the drosophila off motion vision pathway
Meier, Matthias, Serbe, Etienne, Maisak, Matthew S., Haag, Juergen, Dickson, Barry J. and Borst, Alexander (2014). Neural circuit components of the drosophila off motion vision pathway. Current Biology, 24 (4), 385-392. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2014.01.006
Genome-scale functional characterization of Drosophila developmental enhancers in vivo
Kvon, Evgeny Z., Kazmar, Tomas, Stampfel, Gerald, Yanez-Cuna, J. Omar, Pagani, Michaela, Schernhuber, Katharina, Dickson, Barry J. and Stark, Alexander (2014). Genome-scale functional characterization of Drosophila developmental enhancers in vivo. Nature, 512 (1), 91-95. doi: 10.1038/nature13395
Parallel neural pathways mediate CO2 avoidance responses in Drosophila
Lin, Hui-Hao, Chu, Li-An, Fu, Tsai-Feng, Dickson, Barry J. and Chiang, Ann-Shyn (2013). Parallel neural pathways mediate CO2 avoidance responses in Drosophila. Science, 340 (6138), 1338-1341. doi: 10.1126/science.1236693
Lin, Chih-Yung, Chuang, Chao-Chun, Hua, Tzu-En, Chen, Chun-Chao, Dickson, Barry J., Greenspan, Ralph J. and Chiang, Ann-Shyn (2013). A comprehensive wiring diagram of the protocerebral bridge for visual information processing in the Drosophila brain. Cell Reports, 3 (5), 1739-1753. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2013.04.022
A directional tuning map of Drosophila elementary motion detectors
Maisak, Matthew S., Haag, Juergen, Ammer, Georg, Serbe, Etienne, Meier, Matthias, Leonhardt, Aljoscha, Schilling, Tabea, Bahl, Armin, Rubin, Gerald M., Nern, Aljoscha, Dickson, Barry J., Reiff, Dierk F., Hopp, Elisabeth and Borst, Alexander (2013). A directional tuning map of Drosophila elementary motion detectors. Nature, 500 (7461), 212-216. doi: 10.1038/nature12320
Drosophila CPEB Orb2A mediates memory independent of its RNA-binding domain
Kruettner, Sebastian, Stepien, Barbara, Noordermeer, Jasprina N., Mommaas, Mieke A., Mechtler, Karl, Dickson, Barry J. and Keleman, Krystyna (2012). Drosophila CPEB Orb2A mediates memory independent of its RNA-binding domain. Neuron, 76 (2), 383-395. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2012.08.028
Dopamine neurons modulate pheromone responses in Drosophila courtship learning
Keleman, Krystyna, Vrontou, Eleftheria, Kruettner, Sebastian, Yu, Jai Y., Kurtovic-Kozaric, Amina and Dickson, Barry J. (2012). Dopamine neurons modulate pheromone responses in Drosophila courtship learning. Nature, 489 (7414), 145-149. doi: 10.1038/nature11345
Toda, Hirofumi, Zhao, Xiaoliang and Dickson, Barry J. (2012). The Drosophila female aphrodisiac pheromone activates ppk23+ sensory neurons to elicit male courtship behavior. Cell Reports, 1 (6), 599-607. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2012.05.007
Kvon, Evgeny Z., Stampfel, Gerald, Yanez-Cuna, J. Omar, Dickson, Barry J. and Stark, Alexander (2012). HOT regions function as patterned developmental enhancers and have a distinct cis-regulatory signature. Genes and Development, 26 (9), 908-913. doi: 10.1101/gad.188052.112
Auditory circuit in the Drosophila brain
Lai, Jason Sih-Yu, Lo, Shih-Jie, Dickson, Barry J. and Chiang, Ann-Shyn (2012). Auditory circuit in the Drosophila brain. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 109 (7), 2607-2612. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1117307109
Robo-3-mediated repulsive interactions guide R8 axons during Drosophila visual system development
Pappu, Kartik S., Morey, Marta, Nern, Aljoscha, Spitzweck, Bettina, Dickson, Barry J. and Zipursky, S. L. (2011). Robo-3-mediated repulsive interactions guide R8 axons during Drosophila visual system development. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 108 (18), 7571-7576. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1103419108
Flybow: Genetic multicolor cell labeling for neural circuit analysis in Drosophila melanogaster
Hadjieconomou, Dafni, Rotkopf, Shay, Alexandre, Cyrille, Bell, Donald M., Dickson, Barry J. and Salecker, Iris (2011). Flybow: Genetic multicolor cell labeling for neural circuit analysis in Drosophila melanogaster. Nature Methods, 8 (3), 260-266. doi: 10.1038/nmeth.1567
Neuronal control of Drosophila courtship song
von Philipsborn, Anne C., Liu, Tianxiao, Yu, Jai Y., Masser, Christopher, Bidaye, Salil S. and Dickson, Barry J. (2011). Neuronal control of Drosophila courtship song. Neuron, 69 (3), 509-522. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2011.01.011
Prof Barry Dickson or Dr Kai Feng
Project: Neural Circuits, Genetics and Behaviour
As animals walk, run, or hop, motor circuits in the spinal cord convert descending “command” signals from the brain into the coordinated movements of many different leg muscles. How are command signals from the brain deconvolved into the appropriate patterns of motor neuron activity? We aim to answer this question for Drosophila by studying the functional organization of leg motor circuits in the ventral nerve cord, the fly’s analogue of the spinal cord. In Drosophila, individual neuronal cell types can be reproducibly identified and manipulated using genetic reagents that have been developed to target specific descending neurons, interneurons, or motor neurons. We have also established imaging pipeline to identify novel neurons that are behaviourally relevant and probe how they talk to each other. A range of projects involving optogenetics, two-photon imaging, machine learning assisted behavioural analysis and circuit modelling are currently open to honours students with a background in any area of molecular biology or experimental or theoretical neuroscience.
Project 1: Neural Mechanisms of Drosophila locomotion
Background
As animals walk, run, or hop, motor circuits in the spinal cord convert descending “command” signals from the brain into the coordinated movements of many different leg muscles. How are command signals from the brain deconvolved into the appropriate patterns for motor neuron activity?
Project aim
We aim to answer this question for Drosophila by studying the functional organization of leg motor circuits in the ventral nerve cord, the fly’s analogue of the spinal cord. In Drosophila, individual neuronal cell types can be reproducibly identified and manipulated using genetic reagents that have been developed to target specific descending neurons, interneurons, or motor neurons.
Your role
In your thesis project, you will learn a range of methods including genetics, multiphoton imaging, optogenetics and quantitative behavioural analysis, and use these methods to elucidate the structure and function of the motor circuits controlled by a specific class of descending neuron. This may be, for example, a descending neuron that, when activated, causes the fly to walk backwards (see Bidaye et al, Science 6179:97), or one that elicits turning. Understanding the circuit mechanisms behind those simple actions will shed light on general computational principles of neural networks and may even help us to design smarter robots.
How to apply
Find out about the entry requirements, application procedures, and scholarship information and deadlines.
Contact
Contact Professor Barry Dickson via b.dickson@uq.edu.au
Research Areas
- Drosophila (fruit fly) locomotion behaviour
- Neural circuits involving walking
- Genetic dissection of cell types in ventral nerve cord
- Functional connectivity mapping by multiphoton imaging
