Salience modulates 20–30 Hz brain activity in Drosophila

Fruit flies selectively orient toward the visual stimuli that are most salient in their environment. We recorded local field potentials (LFPs) from the brains of Drosophila melanogaster as they responded to the presentation of visual stimuli. Coupling of salience effects (odor, heat or novelty) to these stimuli modulated LFPs in the 20–30 Hz range by evoking a transient, selective increase. We demonstrated the association of these responses with behavioral tracking and initiated a genetic approach to investigating neural correlates of perception.