Genetic Approaches to Insect Neurochemistry

During the past few years genetic methods have been used to anaiyse neurochemical mechanisms in Drosophila and to determine the role of these mechanisms in development and behaviour. Three main experimental approaches can be adopted in such studies. Mutants isolated on the basis of abnormal development or behaviour, or both, can be screened for lesions in suspected metabolic events. A second approach is to isolate mutants on the basis of their susceptibility to neurotoxins and to screen these mutants for defects in macromolecules which are expected to interact with the drugs. A third and more straightforward approach is to locate the gene coding for a given macromolecule and to isolate mutations in it. The information gained on Drosophila neurochemistry, combined with the powerful genetic techniques available for this organism, make it possible to tackle problems which are difficult to approach by other methods