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Age‐related behavioral changes in Drosophila
Author(s) -
Iliadi Konstantin G.,
Boulianne Gabrielle L.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.05372.x
Subject(s) - drosophila (subgenus) , biology , evolutionary biology , neuroscience , psychology , genetics , gene
Normal aging can be defined as the natural physiological changes that occur in an organism over time in the absence of any disease. Among the many age‐related changes that can be observed are those that result in the progressive decline of a variety of behavioral responses, including locomotor activity and cognitive function. During the past decade, model organisms, such as the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster , have been used extensively to study aging. These simpler model systems have been particularly useful for genetic studies of aging because of their small genome size, short generation time, and mean life span compared to either mice or humans. Drosophila also exhibits complex behaviors, many of which undergo age‐related decline. Here, we describe the age‐related changes in behavior that have been observed in Drosophila and discuss how these are affected in long‐ and short‐lived strains of flies.