What fruit flies can teach us about fear and startle

Marta Moita

Fundação D. Anna Sommer Champalimaud e Dr. Carlos Montez Champalimaud, Portugal

Sudden loud noises or unexpected movements can make people jump or flinch. Although this response is an ancient survival mechanism shared by many species, anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder often cause an exaggerated response. This project aims to understand how the brain generates and controls this reaction, and why some individuals react more strongly than others.

Experts in neuroscience, behaviour, genetics and physiology will study the brain circuits that control startle in fruit flies. This model shows simple defensive reactions that can be measured precisely and allows researchers to easily identify the nerve cells involved. The researchers will measure movement and heart activity during startling situations, map the circuits controlling different parts of the response, and study how genes and previous experiences influence its intensity.

While fruit flies are much simpler than humans, many core mechanisms of nervous-system function are shared across species. Therefore, the project findings may reveal basic principles of defensive behaviour that could help understand excessive response in anxiety-related conditions.

• César Mendes, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal

Systematic study of startle response at the organismic level

€997,250.00