Richard Axel

Representational drift in primary olfactory cortex

Nature · 2021 · 324 citations

Transient and Persistent Representations of Odor Value in Prefrontal Cortex

Neuron · 2020 · 114 citations

Olfactory landmarks and path integration converge to form a cognitive spatial map

Neuron · 2021-10-27 · 80 citations

The spatial and temporal structure of neural activity across the fly brain

Nature Communications · 2023-09-11 · 46 citations

What are the spatial and temporal scales of brainwide neuronal activity? We used swept, confocally-aligned planar excitation (SCAPE) microscopy to image all cells in a large volume of the brain of adult Drosophila with high spatiotemporal resolution while flies engaged in a variety of spontaneous behaviors. This revealed neural representations of behavior on multiple spatial and temporal scales. The activity of most neurons correlated (or anticorrelated) with running and flailing over timescales…

Flexible neural control of transition points within the egg-laying behavioral sequence in Drosophila

Nature Neuroscience · 2023-05-22 · 41 citations

Innate behaviors are frequently comprised of ordered sequences of component actions that progress to satisfy essential drives. Progression is governed by specialized sensory cues that induce transitions between components within the appropriate context. Here we have characterized the structure of the egg-laying behavioral sequence in Drosophila and found significant variability in the transitions between component actions that affords the organism an adaptive flexibility. We identified distinct…