A team of Taiwanese scientists has discovered that fruit flies possess a far more efficient brain structure than previously believed, opening new avenues for brain-disease research and artificial intelligence development, National Tsing Hua University said yesterday.
The university, which led the research, in a statement said that fruit flies use a hybrid neural network that enables them to rapidly decide how to respond to smells.
The study, published in Science Advances in May, found that the fruit fly brain combines generalist and specialist neurons, coauthor and neuroscientist Chiang Ann-shyn (江安世) said.
Photo courtesy of National Tsing Hua University
While generalist cells process a wide range of odors such as pheromones or plant scents, specialist cells focus on important cues such as food smells, Chiang said.
The neural network is not entirely random as once thought, but instead follows a partly organized pattern, he said.
Neuroscience professor Lo Chung-chuan (羅中泉), another coauthor of the study, compared the system to a smart password — part familiar, part random — making it efficient and secure.
By studying one of nature’s smallest brains, the team hopes to gain insights into how brains manage attention, memory and survival across species, Chiang said.
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