Organization of the Drosophila larval visual circuit

Visual systems transduce, process and transmit light-dependent environmental cues. Computation of visual features depends on the types of photoreceptor neurons (PR) present, the organization of the eye and the wiring of the underlying neural circuit. Here, we describe the circuit architecture of the visual system of Drosophila larvae by mapping the synaptic wiring diagram and neurotransmitters. By contacting different targets, the two larval PR-subtypes create parallel circuits potentially underlying the computation of absolute light intensity and temporal light changes already within this first visual processing center. Locally processed visual information then signals via dedicated projection interneurons to higher brain areas including the lateral horn and mushroom body. The stratified structure of the LON suggests common organizational principles with the adult fly and vertebrate visual systems. The complete synaptic wiring diagram of the LON paves the way to understanding how circuits with reduced numerical complexity control wide ranges of behaviors

Sport et société / Animals and the American Imagination

Le comité de rédaction de Transatlantica dédie ce numéro à la mémoire de Naomi Wulf, membre fondateur de notre revue, et responsable de la rubrique Comptes-rendus en civilisation. L'article de Naomi Wulf et Nathalie Caron "Les Lumières américaines: continuités et renouveau", publié dans le numéro 2009:2 de Transatlantica, a reçu le David Thelen Award, décerné par l'Organization of American Historians, le 21 avril 2012. Cet article sera traduit et publié par le Journal of American History