The School of Biological Sciences Spring 2025 Seminar Series presents Dr. Helen Yang

Abstract: Purposeful, directed locomotion requires descending signals from the brain to the nerve cord. However, it is poorly understood which features of locomotion are conveyed and how these signals are organized. Here, I investigate this issue by examining how descending neurons, which connect the brain to the nerve cord, control steering in walking Drosophila. My results show how the brain can exert detailed but also flexible control of locomotion via selective recruitment of descending neurons that drive specific, coordinated modulations of leg movement patterns.