Connectome: The 3013 neurons in the brain of a fly larva have been mapped in full

A complete map of the neurons inside the brain of a fruit fly larva is the largest example of a whole-brain “connectome”, and is a stepping stone to describing the brains of more complex animals, including mice and humans

By Michael Marshall

The connections within the brain of a baby fly have been mapped in full, creating the largest whole-brain “connectome” described to date. It should allow researchers to understand how signals travel through a fly’s brain, how different regions of the brain interact and ultimately how specific behaviours are generated at the neural level.

“All neurons of the brain are reconstructed and all the connections have been analysed,” says Gáspár Jékely at the University of Exeter in …