Gregory Jefferis

Our group studies the neural circuit basis of behaviour using the Drosophila olfactory system as our main model. We were the first to identify widespread sex differences in the neuroanatomy of the fly brain, and to uncover a sex-specific switch in connectivity and information flow within an animal brain. Recent work has combined electron microscopy and whole-brain connectomics with in vivo physiology and behaviour to understand the interaction between learned and innate behaviour. All of this work builds on molecular and computational tools for brain mapping at cellular and synaptic resolution. Most recently, this has included leading roles in delivering the first synaptic-resolution connectomes for both the brain and nerve cord of an adult animal.

Going forwards we have three main research areas: Comparative connectomics to reveal the organisational logic of circuit differences across sexes and species; molecular connectomics so that we simultaneously understand the connection patterns and molecular composition of cell types in the brain; and physiological and behavioural studies building on this knowledge to understand the genetic and circuit basis of both innate sexually dimorphic behaviours and those that are modified by experience.