How flies find food by quick turns and sensing the wind
Official title: The Functional Role and Neural Basis of Rapid Turns in Olfactory Search Behavior
Funded at California Institute of Technology · NIH-11401991 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are studying how fruit flies use fast directional turns and wind information to search for food, which could inform how brains guide movement in uncertain environments.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | California Institute of Technology NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pasadena, United States) |
| Project start | September 5, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,035,153 |
| NIH project number | 5R01NS136988-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11401991 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Not applicable to patients; this study involves animal behavior and neural mechanisms.
✕Less likely to help
No direct patient participation or benefit in this study.
What this research studies
This project examines how animals use deliberate turns to gather information about their surroundings when searching for food. By studying fruit flies and their rapid body turns during flight, the team will link wind direction, wind speed, and altitude to decision-making in movement. They will combine advanced imaging, genetics, and connectome data to understand the neural basis of these behaviors. The work aims to reveal how internal and external states shape where an animal goes next.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Gaining insights into basic brain mechanisms of navigation could inform treatments for human balance and movement disorders in the long term.
How similar studies have gone: Similar work with model organisms has advanced understanding of sensory-guided movement, though this project proposes a novel integration of observability concepts with fly neuroscience.
Where this research is happening
-
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dickinson, Michael H — California Institute of Technology
- Study coordinator: Dickinson, Michael H
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.