Abstract:
Study of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has yielded
important insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms of learning
and memory. Courtship conditioning is a well-established behavioral assay
used to study Drosophila learning and memory. Here, we describe
the development of software to analyze courtship suppression assay data
that correctly identifies normal or abnormal learning and memory traits
of individual flies. Development of this automated analysis software will
significantly enhance our ability to use this assay in large-scale
genetic screens and disease modeling. The software increases the
consistency, objectivity, and types of data generated.
