Long-Term Observation of Locomotion of Drosophila Larvae Facilitates Feasibility of Food-Choice Assays

Animal behavior is reflected by locomotor patterns. To decipher the underlying neural circuitry locomotion has to be monitored over often longer time periods. Here a simple adaptation is described to constrain movement of third instar Drosophila larvae to a defined area and use Frustrated total internal reflection based imaging method (FIM) imaging to monitor larval movements up to 1 h. It is demonstrated that the combination of FIM imaging and long analysis periods facilitates the conduction of food choice assays and provides the means to easily quantify food preferences.

Automated summary

Animal behavior can be understood by monitoring locomotor patterns, and in this study, a simple method was described to constrain the movement of fruit fly larvae and monitor their behavior using FIM imaging method for up to 1 hour. The combination of FIM imaging and long analysis periods facilitates the conduction of food choice assays and allows for easy quantification of food preferences.