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Neural Circuit Structure Lab
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The lab explores courtship communication in fruit flies and mosquitoes by studying how the brain works.
AboutAbout the lab
Exploring how the brain hears courtship sounds
The Neural Circuit Structure Lab uses fruit flies and mosquitoes to study the brain mechanisms that make courtship communication possible.
The lab focuses on how the brain receives the sounds animals use during courtship and reads their meaning.
Its research covers the auditory neural circuits and sound learning of fruit flies, the mating behavior of mosquitoes, and the changes in genes and neural circuits that drive the evolution of behavior.
Understanding mosquito mating behavior from the angle of hearing may lead to new ways of controlling mosquito reproduction.
Key terms
- Fruit fly (Drosophila)
- A fly used as a model animal in brain research, known for the speed at which data can be obtained and for its rich set of genetic manipulation techniques.
- Courtship song
- A species-specific wing sound that fruit flies produce during courtship.
- Neural circuit map
- A map of brain circuitry that organizes and depicts the connections between neurons.
NewsLab news
Lecturer Ryoya Tanaka received the Encouragement Award from the Neuroscience Society
Lecturer Ryoya Tanaka received the Young Scientists' Award in the Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
Professor Azusa Kamikochi received the Nakaaki Tsukahara Memorial Award
Lecturer Ryoya Tanaka received the Akazaki Award and the Ishida Award
The lab released YORU, an AI tool for analyzing complex animal behavior
ResearchResearch themes
The lab uses fruit flies and mosquitoes to study the brain mechanisms that make courtship communication possible. It also works to identify the changes in genes and neural circuits that drive the evolution of behavior.
*Illustrative imageAuditory neural circuits in fruit flies
The lab is comprehensively identifying the auditory neurons that process sound information and is building a neural circuit map. It is now identifying the higher-order neurons that receive this information.
*Illustrative imageHow the brain distinguishes sound rhythms
Like humans, fruit flies can tell apart slight differences in sound rhythm. It is known that a certain neuron in the brain acts as a 'brake' that modulates the responses of other neurons.
*Illustrative imageHow song preferences are learned
The lab found that fruit flies also learn the correct song through auditory experience. It has revealed part of the neural circuit that females need in order to learn their preference for courtship song.
*Illustrative imageMosquito mating behavior and hearing
Using the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) and the yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti), the lab studies the function of the auditory system that supports mating behavior, at the level of both behavior and neurons. It has also investigated the action of serotonin and visualized the brain's responses to sound.
MembersFaculty
Members of the Neural Circuit Structure Lab consist of faculty, postdoctoral researchers, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, and technical assistants.As of 2026
- ProfessorAzusa Kamikochi
- LecturerRyoya Tanaka
- Assistant ProfessorMatthew Su
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Minettia fly” Ermell / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Auditory neural circuits in fruit flies: “Neural network explain” TseKiChun / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- How the brain distinguishes sound rhythms: “" Fruit " Fly (Drosophila sp.) close-up on fungus ( )” Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- How song preferences are learned: “Drosophila melanogaster - side (aka)” André Karwath aka Aka / CC BY-SA 2.5 (cropped)
- Mosquito mating behavior and hearing: “Male Aedes albopictus from Botevgrad, Bulgaria 03 antenna” Dimitǎr Boevski / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (内分
泌シグナル研究): “Drosophila melanogaster under a microscope 01” Gannu03 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped) - Related lab (器官機能学): “Biology lab Cedar Point Biological Station” Scott L. Gardner / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (遺伝学): “Culture vials of Drosophila melanogaster in Unifei” Mateus S. Figueiredo / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (統合進化生態): “Lucanus cervus male Saarland 22” Orchi / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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