A Complete Electron Microscopy Volume of the Brain of Adult Drosophila melanogaster

Summary

Drosophila melanogaster has a rich repertoire of innate and learned behaviors. Its 100,000-neuron brain is a large but tractable target for comprehensive neural circuit mapping. Only electron microscopy (EM) enables complete, unbiased mapping of synaptic connectivity; however, the fly brain is too large for conventional EM. We developed a custom high-throughput EM platform and imaged the entire brain of an adult female fly at synaptic resolution. To validate the dataset, we traced brain-spanning circuitry involving the mushroom body (MB), which has been extensively studied for its role in learning. All inputs to Kenyon cells (KCs), the intrinsic neurons of the MB, were mapped, revealing a previously unknown cell type, postsynaptic partners of KC dendrites, and unexpected clustering of olfactory projection neurons. These reconstructions show that this freely available EM volume supports mapping of brain-spanning circuits, which will significantly accelerate Drosophila neuroscience.

Video Abstract

Graphical Abstract

Highlights

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  A complete adult Drosophila brain was imaged with EM and has been made publicly available

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  The imaged volume enables brain-spanning mapping of circuits at synaptic resolution

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  All mushroom body (MB) calyx inputs were mapped, revealing a new cell type, MB-CP2

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  Previously unidentified synaptic partners form recurrent microcircuits in MB calyx

Abstract

Electron microscopy imaging of the entire adult fruit fly brain at synapse resolution reveals circuitry spanning multiple regions and connectivity between known and previously unknown cell types.