BRaiN

The BRaiN project aims to uncover the neural mechanisms regulating aggression in Drosophila melanogaster. Aggression, while essential for survival, must be tightly regulated by inhibitory mechanisms to prevent excessive escalation. However, the brain circuits involved in these mechanisms remain poorly understood. Building on our prior research, which identified an aggression-regulating micro-circuit that modulates aggression through complex dual neurotransmission and feedback inhibitory mechanisms, the project seeks to address three key questions: (i) What sensory modalities activate this micro-circuit? (ii) How does it communicate with motor neurons to convert neural activity into aggressive actions? (iii) How do internal states modulate this circuit to shape context-specific aggressive behaviors? This line of research addresses critical gaps regarding of how sensory information and internal state converge within the brain, and propagate throughout animals’ body to generate behavioral responses. The BRaiN project stands out for its interdisciplinary approach, integrating behavioral, functional, neural, and molecular techniques along with cutting-edge high-throughput methodologies. This integrative project will deepen our understanding of how sensory cues and internal states interact within the brain to modulate aggression. The findings from BRaiN project will offer new insights into the neural control of aggression and how inhibitory mechanisms are embedded in the brain to prevent its escalation, contributing to a better understanding of the neural regulation of social behaviors. The project’s originality lies in its focus on the inhibitory micro-circuit that prevents aggression from spiraling out of control, with potential implications for unraveling similar mechanisms across species.