Taiwan study reveals efficient brain wiring in fruit flies

Taipei, Aug. 6 (CNA) A team of Taiwanese scientists has discovered that fruit flies possess a far more efficient and organized brain structure than previously known, opening new avenues for brain disease research and artificial intelligence development.

According to a press release issued Wednesday by National Tsing Hua University, which led the research, fruit flies use a hybrid neural network that enables them to rapidly decide how to respond to smells -- whether to eat or flee.

The study, published in Science Advances in May, found that the fly brain combines both generalist and specialist neurons, according to co-author and neuroscientist Chiang Ann-shyn (江安世).

While generalist cells process a wide range of odors like pheromones or plant scents, specialist cells focus on important cues such as food smells, Chiang said.

Chiang explained that the neural network is not entirely random as once thought, but instead follows a partly organized pattern.

Neuroscience professor Lo Chung-chuan (羅中泉), another co-author, compared the system to a smart password -- part familiar, part random -- making it both efficient and secure.

By studying one of nature's smallest brains, Chiang said, the team hopes to gain insights into how brains manage attention, memory and survival across species.