Neuronal activity is necessary for the establishment of correctly functioning neuronal circuits in development. Using the fruit fly embryo as a model, the student will image with eFIB-SEM, reconstruct, proofread and compare the connectome of the brain and nerve cord of a fruit fly embryo before and after the 1-hour critical period in late embryonic development as described by Crisp et al. 2011 (J. Neurosci., July 20, 2011 • 31(29):10445–10450), to identify the key changes in circuit connectivity that were consequence of neural activity.
Relevant Reading
Endogenous Patterns of Activity Are Required for the Maturation of a Motor NetworkJournal of Neuroscience 31(29): 10445-10450 (2011)