Giant Neurons in Optic Lobes

In this thread I hope, we’ll share info about all the big neurons, we find and identify.

I’ll start with the Lobula Plate Giant Neurons (yes, that’s their name).
There are 16 such neurons in each optic lobe. Below are pictures and locations of (almost) all of them. Some of them have already been identified by the researchers, other aren’t, so they are my guess.

Centrifugal Horizontal neurons - dorsal and ventral:


https://ngl.flywire.ai/?json_url=https://globalv1.flywire-daf.com/nglstate/5184971723505664

Horizontal System neurons - dorsal, equatorial and ventral:
(I believe, these are 2 of those; I wasn’t able to find the third one)


https://ngl.flywire.ai/?json_url=https://globalv1.flywire-daf.com/nglstate/6248682450059264

6 Vertical System neurons (green) and 3 Vertical System-like neurons:


https://ngl.flywire.ai/?json_url=https://globalv1.flywire-daf.com/nglstate/6113108116373504

Lobula Plate Tangential neuron H1 (shown for both optic lobes):


https://ngl.flywire.ai/?json_url=https://globalv1.flywire-daf.com/nglstate/5122782543216640

Lobula Plate Tangential neuron H2 - I wasn’t able to find and identify this one.

There are also other large cells in the LOP, e.g. some LPi and LPT, probably more.

All Centrifugal Horizontal and Horizontal System neurons arborize only in the layer 1 of the LOP.
H1 and H2 arborize only in the layer 2 of the ipsilateral LOP.
Verticular System neurons arborize only in the layer 4 of the LOP.

Also, most of these giant cells are covered with mergers like with barnacles. They could use some good cleaning :smiley:

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Either I’m doing something wrong, or there isn’t a third Horizontal System Neutron in this particular Drosophila :smiley:

I’ve tried to search for it on both sides and here are the results:


https://ngl.flywire.ai/?json_url=https://globalv1.flywire-daf.com/nglstate/5803127441719296

The cells should look like this, so I believe, I’ve selected the correct ones:


Source: https://doi.org/10.1002/cne.10467

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I found one of them for you, might help you find the one on the other side :slight_smile:

https://ngl.flywire.ai/?json_url=https://globalv1.flywire-daf.com/nglstate/4711028810055680

I also found these:


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Nice! Thank you!
I started to doubt, if those were really the HS cells or some other ones, which are there only two of.
I also thought, it would be on the other side of the LOP, but it fits nicely, where it is :slight_smile:

Edit:
And just minutes after posting this post, I found the last one :smiley:


https://ngl.flywire.ai/?json_url=https://globalv1.flywire-daf.com/nglstate/4858341335498752

It was harder to find, because it was dark stained.

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Wow this is cool and these are such gorgeous cells!

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I love how these spiral together

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