Drosophila Adult Brain Dissection: A Method in Fly Neurobiology

- Perform the dissection in a dish with a buffer solution and under uniform illumination. Transfer a fly, ventral side up, into the dish and keep the preparation submerged throughout the procedure. While holding the base of the proboscis, gently pull the fly head away from the body to separate the two. The brain is located at the back, or caudal side, of the fly's head. Therefore, hold on to the front, or rostral, parts of the cuticle during the dissection to avoid damaging the organ.

To isolate the brain, hold the medial edge of one eye and grasp and pull the proboscis in the opposite direction to create an opening into the head capsule. While holding the cuticle at that eye, grasp the medial edge of the cuticle from the other eye and slowly pull the head capsule straight apart to reveal the brain. If necessary, continue to clear residual cuticle, attached air sacs, or trachea. High quality preparations will preserve structures like the optic lobes, central brain, and SOG. In the example protocol, we will see a detailed demonstration of a Drosophila adult brain dissection used to study the mushroom bodies.

- To setup for the dissection, place the anesthetized flies of interest on