GoKawiilStudy reveals fruit fly brain uses 'split attractor' to set navigation goals quickly
Researchers used two-photon calcium imaging and optogenetics in fruit flies to study how the central complex, specifically the fan-shaped body region of the brain, encodes a navigational goal. They describe a neural mechanism called a 'split attractor' design that allows flies to rapidly write and update a heading goal used for orientation behaviors. The experiments combined live brain imaging with tethered flies walking on an air-supported ball to track behavior alongside neural activity.