Summary of the science
Dopamine is a chemical in our brain that helps us feel good and motivated. It is released when we do things that make us happy or excited. This makes us want to do those things again in the future. Dopamine is like a messenger in our brain that tells us when something is rewarding or enjoyable and it helps us learn and make decisions based on what feels good. The lab led by Scott Waddell found that the fruit fly has a similar reward system to humans. Observing how the fruit flies behave to reward can tell us a lot about how the reward system works in humans.
About the research
The lab led by Scott Waddell has discovered that the neural reward system in fruit flies is more similar to that of mammals than previously known. Just like humans, fruit flies can form memories of prior experience. Their research reveals that dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with reward and motivation in mammals, plays a similar role in food-rewarded behaviour in fruit flies, highlighting the evolutionary conservation of neural mechanisms. By temporally controlling neural function, the researchers implanted positive scent-related memories in fruit flies' brains by directly activating octopamine or dopamine-releasing neurons, without the need for sugar rewards.
About the illustration
To highlight the 'not so simple mind' of the fruit fly, we illustrated the complex neuronal circuitry within the brain, olfactory areas and limbs. We wanted to indicate towards the fruit fly being able to make choices based on prior experience of reward or punishment. Therefore, the fruit fly is shown to actively choose between several alternative pathways.