A team of Australian and German neuroscientists has found a way to measure a fly's attention . Their work, published in the Journal of Neuroscience , will help to better understand the problems of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism in humans.
Combining genetic analysis techniques with brain imaging and behavioral tests, Bruno van Swinderen, from the Queensland Brain Institute (Austria), and Björn Brembs, from Freie University (Germany), have identified genetic mutations that increase or decrease attention in the fruit fly ( Drosophila melanogaster ) . "We have developed a mutated fly that is almost impossible to distract, and a fly that is too scattered," Swinderen explains. In both cases the result is the same: they are unable to learn and memorize. However, when these insects are given methylphenidate – better known by the trademark Ritalin – used to treat ADHD patients, the attention-deficit flies manage to attend to visual stimuli.
In view of the results, the researchers conclude that the brain pathways of attention in flies and humans are very similar. What's more, Brembs notes, "these striking parallels point to a common functional organization of both brains," making the fruit fly a good model for neuroscience studies .
