The key insight that all levels of functional organization from genes to behavior tightly interact, constitutes the basis for a very successful science: neurogenetics. Clearly emphasizing the inherited aspects of the phenomena studied in neuroscience, the primary model system for neurogeneticists is Drosophila. The rich repertoire of classical genetics together with very efficient molecular techniques, allows one not only to identify and clone new genes but also to assess their function at the molecular, cellular and systemic level. Exploiting these opportunities Drosophila offers has furthered to a great extent our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying such complex processes as classical olfactory conditioning in Drosophila (e.g. Davis and Dauwalder, 1991; Tully et al. 1994; Tully, 1991; Tully, et al. (1990).
Besides the genetic level, Drosophila provides several advantages for studying learning and memory behaviorally, compared to humans and other mammals: 1) a short lifespan in standardized vials reduces the inter-individual variance in experiential history to a minimum; 2) only minor ethical considerations have to be taken into account for experimental design; 3) relatively small experimental setups; 4) no social or linguistic complications; 5) the possibility to measure a large number of individuals.
The study presented here takes advantage of these features: Drosophila is used in an experimental situation that allows for minute control of the input the fly receives and the output it produces.