The Use of Computational Modeling to Link Sensory Processing with Behavior in Drosophila

Abstract

Understanding both how the brain represents information and how these representations drive behaviour are major goals of systems neuroscience. Even though genetic model organisms like Drosophila grant unprecedented experimental access to the nervous system for manipulating and recording neural activity, the complexity of natural stimuli and natural behaviours still poses significant challenges for solving the connections between neural activity and behaviour. Here, we advocate for the use of computational modelling to complement (and enhance) the Drosophila toolkit. We first lay out a modelling framework for making sense of the relation between natural sensory stimuli, neuronal responses, and natural behaviour. We then highlight how this framework can be used to reveal how neural circuits drive behaviour, using selected case studies.