<span>"This image is a three-dimensional reconstruction of microscopy data of the brain of an adult fruit fly dyed with fluorescent molecules. In blue, we see the nuclei of neurons which are expressing a gene called dati, which is a transcription factor, or a type of genetic switch, that is involved in the process of how females choose their mates. In red, we see the nuclei of cholinergic neurons, neurons that send excitatory signals to other parts of the body and brain, and in green, we can see the long projections of these neurons and where they connect. In our research, we have found that the gene dati needs to be expressed in cholinergic neurons in order for females to choose a mate once they </span><span>have matured; if it is removed from these neurons, females will behaviorally remain as juveniles and reject the advances of any males. By looking at the overlaps of these colors, we can look for patterns in the connections formed by cholinergic neurons that express dati, in comparison to that those that do not. We hope to use this unique gene to help understand how decisions, modeled here in the choice of a mate in female flies, are encoded by networks of neurons, in brains both big and small.
3D image is digitally reconstructed in the program ZEN 2009 from 71 sequential 2D slices taken on a Zeiss 700 confocal microscope, and adjusted in Adobe Photoshop.
*Image is currently sized at 18x36"</span>
