Fly Brain Holds Secrets of Body Temperature and Sleep
Neural pathways common to humans and flies provide an opportunity to advance medicine
The mind of a fruit fly encompasses 125,000 nerve cells, squeezed into the space of a poppy seed. At first glance, the fly brain looks nothing like a human brain. But many of the underlying neural circuits are surprisingly similar.
Fumika Hamada, a professor of neurobiology, physiology, and behavior, is using fruit flies to study a critical but oft-overlooked brain function: the regulation of our body temperature in a consistent daily rhythm.
“All animals have body temperature rhythms, from flies to fish and humans,” said Hamada. Body temperature influences countless body functions including sleep, blood pressure, and metabolism. “The brain sets the pace of this daily rhythm and uses body temperature to synchronize all other organs.”
Hamada is identifying the molecules and brain cells that do this in fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster). Her work could lead to advances in human medicine, including new treatments for sleeping disorders, and perhaps even new ways to prevent the onset of metabolic syndrome — the constellation of weight gain, diabetes, high blood pressure, and immune dysfunction that undermines the health of millions of Americans.