Grant: Foundation Grant

Understanding the brain is one of the greatest scientific puzzles of our time. This enormous challenge requires a long-term strategy that spans multiple disciplines and leverages diverse approaches ranging from basic science to applied clinical research. A key component of this collective effort is the use of model systems with brains far smaller than our own. Unraveling the principles of how these simpler brains develop and operate to encode and decode information is a critical step in the more complex task of understanding the human brain, and how we can repair it when it no longer functions properly. My research program is focused on discovering fundamental principles of how the brain processes taste information and translates it into feeding behavior. I study this problem in fruit flies because the relative simplicity of the fly brain, combined with a wealth of available genetic and optical tools, allows us to probe neural circuit function with higher resolution and more complete coverage than is currently possible in mammalian systems. My proposed Foundation research program is built on three complementary objectives: 1) To uncover the neural circuit mechanisms driving integration of different tastes. 2) To delineate the mechanisms underlying hunger-dependent changes in taste perception. 3) To discover important new genes involved in brain development. Understanding how taste drives animals to consume calorie-dense foods will lead to new strategies in the fight against overconsumption and obesity. Uncovering specific mechanisms that affect insect taste sensitivity and feeding behavior will also aid in developing tools to control devastating human insect-borne diseases, such as malaria. Finally, discovering genes with novel roles in brain development will provide possible new targets for drugs to treat or prevent neurodevelopmental disorders like autism and intellectual disability.