Ageing Flies

Flies, like humans, can show signs of brain degeneration as they reach old age. Affected insects possess gene mutations, which lead to shaking and difficulty walking as brain function is lost. By looking for early warning signs in the brains of these insects, scientists hope to improve early detection of human neurodegenerative diseases, such as Huntington’s and Parkinson’s. However, flies’ brains are delicate, and the traditional way of imaging them – preparing thin slices of the organ to view under a microscope – is laborious and requires great precision. Scientists have found a neat way to overcome this. By simply bleaching the fly’s dark pigmentation they can take images through the intact head (shown above) to the brain underneath.

Written by Manisha Lalloo

Manisha Lalloo

Writer

Manisha Lalloo is a London-based science writer and communicator. Having studied chemistry, her work has taken her into physics, computing, engineering and beyond. She has a particular fondness for exploring science through craft.

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• Mary O'Connell
• Medical Research Council Human Genetics Unit, UK
• Originally published under Creative Commons (CC-BY 2.0)
• Published in PLoS One