This work was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (AG023088 to B.R.).

Note: The Canton-S strain is the standard wild-type background line obtained from the Bloomington Stock Center.
1. Food Preparation and Recipe for 1,000 ml of Food
Note: This section describes the protocol for food preparation. Large metal pots are used to prepare about 18 L of food at a time. The protocol described here is downsized and uses 1,000 ml H2O. Food is autoclaved twice.
<ol>
	<li>Mix 113 g sucrose and 28 g brewers yeast in 643 ml water. Leav...

<ol>
	<li>Ali, Y. O., Escala, W. E., Ruan, K., Zhai, R. G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Assaying+Locomotor,+Learning,+and+Memory+Deficits+in+Drosophila+Models+of+Neurodegeneration.">Assaying Locomotor, Learning, and Memory Deficits in Drosophila Models of Neurodegeneration.</a> J. Vis. Exp. 49, 2504 (2011).</li><li>Jones, M. A., Grotewiel, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Drosophila+as+a+model+for+age-related+impairment+in+locomotor+and+behaviors.">Drosophila as a model for age-related impairment in locomotor and behaviors.</a> Exp. Gerontol. 46 (5), 320-325 (2011).</li><li>Grotewiel, M. S., Martin, I., Bhandari, p., Cook-Wiends, E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Functional+senescence+in+Drosophila+melanogaster.">Functional senescence in Drosophila melanogaster.</a> Aging Res. Rev. 4 (3), 372-397 (2005).</li><li>Gargano, J. W., Martin, I., Bhandari, P., Grotewiel, M. S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Rapid+Iterative+Negative+Geotaxis+(RING):+a+New+Method+for+Assessing+Age-related+Locomotor+Decline+in+Drosophila.">Rapid Iterative Negative Geotaxis (RING): a New Method for Assessing Age-related Locomotor Decline in Drosophila.</a> Exp. Gerontol. 40 (5), 386-395 (2005).</li><li>Nichols, C. D., Bechnel, J., Pandey, U. B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Methods+to+assay+Drosophila+behavior.">Methods to assay Drosophila behavior.</a> J. Vis. Exp. 61, 3791 (2012).</li><li>Long, T. A., Rice, W. R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Adult+locomotor+activity+mediates+Intralocus+sexual+conflict+in+a+laboratory-adapted+population+of+Drosophila+melanogaster.">Adult locomotor activity mediates Intralocus sexual conflict in a laboratory-adapted population of Drosophila melanogaster.</a> Proc. Biol. Sci. 274 (1629), 3105-3112 (2007).</li><li>Slawson, J. B., Kim, E. Z., Griffith, L. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=High-resolution+video+tracking+of+locomotor+in+adult+Drosophila+melanogaster.">High-resolution video tracking of locomotor in adult Drosophila melanogaster.</a> J. Vis. Exp. 24 (24), 1096 (2009).</li><li>Marden, J. H., Rogina, B., Montooth, K. L., Helfand, S. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Conditional+tradeoff+between+aging+and+organismal+performance+of+Indy+long-lived+mutant+flies.">Conditional tradeoff between aging and organismal performance of Indy long-lived mutant flies.</a> Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 100 (6), 3369-3372 (2003).</li><li>Grover, D., Yang, J., Tavar&#233;, S., Tower, L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Simultaneous+tracking+of+fly+movement+and+gene+expression+using+GFP.">Simultaneous tracking of fly movement and gene expression using GFP.</a> BMC Biotechnol. 8, 93 (2008).</li><li>Grover, D., Yang, J., Tavar&#233;, S., Tower, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Simultaneous+tracking+of+movement+and+gene+expression+in+multiple+Drosophila+melanogaster+flies+using+GFP+and+DsRED+fluorescent+reporter+transgenes.">Simultaneous tracking of movement and gene expression in multiple Drosophila melanogaster flies using GFP and DsRED fluorescent reporter transgenes.</a> BMC Res Notes. 2 (58), 1-11 (2009).</li><li>Ardekani, R., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Three-dimensional+tracking+and+behaviour+monitoring+of+multiple+fruit+flies.">Three-dimensional tracking and behaviour monitoring of multiple fruit flies.</a> J. R. Soc. Interface. 10 (78), (2013).</li><li>Branson, K. A., Robie, A. A., Bender, J., Perona, P., Dickinson, M. H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=High-throughput+ethomics+in+large+groups+of+Drosophila.">High-throughput ethomics in large groups of Drosophila.</a> Nat Methods. 6 (6), 451-457 (2009).</li><li>Zou, S., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Recording+Lifetime+Behavior+and+Movement+in+an+Invertebrate+Model.">Recording Lifetime Behavior and Movement in an Invertebrate Model.</a> PLOS One. 6 (4), (2011).</li><li>Valente, D., Golani, I., Mitra, P. P. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Analysis+of+the+trajectory+of+Drosophila+melanogaster+in+a+circular+open+field+arena.">Analysis of the trajectory of Drosophila melanogaster in a circular open field arena.</a> PLoS One. 2 (10), 1083 (2007).</li><li>Inan, O. T., Marcu, O., Sanchez, M. E., Bhattacharya, S., Kovacs, K. T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+portable+system+for+monitoring+the+behavioral+activity+of+Drosophila.">A portable system for monitoring the behavioral activity of Drosophila.</a> J Neurosci. Methods. 202 (1), 45-52 (2011).</li><li>Parashar, V., Rogina, B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=dSir2+mediates+the+increased+spontaneous+physical+activity+in+flies+on+calorie+restriction.">dSir2 mediates the increased spontaneous physical activity in flies on calorie restriction.</a> Aging. 1 (6), 529-541 (2009).</li><li>Kaneuchi, T., Togawa, T., Matsuo, T., Fuyama, Y., Aigaki, T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Efficient+measurement+of+H2O2+resistance+in+Drosophila+using+an+activity+monitor.">Efficient measurement of H2O2 resistance in Drosophila using an activity monitor.</a> Biogerontology. 4 (3), 157-165 (2003).</li><li>Carey, J. R., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Age-specific+and+lifetime+behavior+patterns+in+Drosophila+melanogaster+and+the+Mediterranean+fruit+fly,+Ceratitis+capitata.">Age-specific and lifetime behavior patterns in Drosophila melanogaster and the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata.</a> Exp. Gerontol. 41 (1), 93-97 (2006).</li><li>Rhodenizer, D., Martin, I., Bhandari, P., Pletcher, S. D., Grotewiel, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Genetic+and+environmental+factors+impact+age-related+impairment+of+negative+geotaxis+in+Drosophila+by+altering+age-dependent+climbing+speed.">Genetic and environmental factors impact age-related impairment of negative geotaxis in Drosophila by altering age-dependent climbing speed.</a> Exp. Gerontol. 43 (8), 739-749 (2008).</li><li>Osterwalder, T., Yoon, K. S., White, B. H., Keshishian, H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+conditional+tissue-specific+transgene+expression+system+using+inducible+GAL4.">A conditional tissue-specific transgene expression system using inducible GAL4.</a> Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 98 (22), 12596-12601 (2001).</li><li>Dietzl, G., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+genome-wide+transgenic+RNAi+library+for+conditional+gene+inactivation+in+Drosophila.">A genome-wide transgenic RNAi library for conditional gene inactivation in Drosophila.</a> Nature. 448 (7150), 151-156 (2007).</li><li>Chiu, J. C., Low, K. H., Pike, D. H., Yildirim, E., Edery, I. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Assaying+locomotor+activity+to+study+circadian+rhythms+and+sleep+parameters+in+Drosophila.">Assaying locomotor activity to study circadian rhythms and sleep parameters in Drosophila.</a> J. Vis. Exp. 43, 2157 (2010).</li><li>Pfeiffenberger, C., Lear, B. C., Keegan, K. P., Allada, R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Locomotor+activity+level+monitoring+using+the+Drosophila+Activity+Monitoring+(DAM)+System.">Locomotor activity level monitoring using the Drosophila Activity Monitoring (DAM) System.</a> Cold Spring Harbor Protoc. 11, (2010).</li><li>Pfeiffenberger, C., Lear, B. C., Keegan, K. P., Allada, R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Processing circadian data collected from the Drosophila Activity Monitoring (DAM) System. Protoc. 11, (2010).</li><li>Ardekani, R., Tavar&#233;, S., Tower, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Assessing+senescence+in+Drosophila+using+video+tracking.">Assessing senescence in Drosophila using video tracking.</a> Methods Mol. Biol. 965, 501-516 (2013).</li></ol>

We have nothing to disclose.

Spontaneous locomotor activity of flies is influenced by many factors such as age, genetic background, and gender2,13,18,19. In addition, environmental factors such as caloric content of the food, temperature of the environment, addition of different drugs, and day/night light cycle can affect fly activity. For instance, male flies of the same age have a higher spontaneous physical activity compared to females (Figure 1). Therefore, flies of the same age and gender should be compared to each o...

Fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster, have been used as a valuable model organism to study mechanisms underlying complex behaviors, such as learning and memory, social interaction, aggression, drug abuse, sleep, sensory function, courtship, and mating1,2. One behavior that has been studied through multiple protocols is spontaneous locomotor activity. Negative geotaxis was one of the first methods developed for measuring Drosophila activity, and this protocol involves measuring the percentage of flies that reach a certain height of the vial after flies were shaken to the bottom of the container1,3.&#160; This method has advantages of being straightforward, inexpensive, and since it does not require any special equipment it can be performed in any laboratory. It has been used as a valuable screening tool to study effects of different genetic manipulations on fly mobility3. However, it is time and labor intensive and has the possibility of bias due to variable shaking of the vials and human recordings.&#160;
The negative geotaxis method was improved upon by development of the Rapid Iterative Negative Geotaxis (RING) method4,5, which takes photographs of the fly vials following shaking of the flies to the bottom. The advantage of this protocol is its sensitivity and the possibility of testing a large number of fly vials at the same time. However, this protocol still has the potential for human error, and only measures negative geotaxis. Other laboratories have used simple observation in culture vials to determine locomotor activity6.
Recently several video recording systems for measuring fly locomotor activity have been developed.&#160; One video monitoring protocol provides time for adjustment before recording7.&#160; The method described by Slawson et al.&#160;also uses an air pulse to stop movement until the start of recording, which could potentially be a stressor to the animals7.&#160; This method provides information on average speed, max speed, time spend in motion, etc.&#160; Another three-dimensional tracking system measures the maximal velocity of individual flies during ~0.2 seconds of free flight takeoff8. A three-dimensional video monitoring protocol uses flies expressing GFP and multiple cameras fitted with filters allowing for detection of fluorescence to determine fly mobility9. Flies in this protocol tend to exhibit cylindrical flight patterns, which is potentially due to the shape of Drosophila culture vials10. This method was improved by using a dome that allows measuring spontaneous movement of two flies11. A high-throughput method that uses a camera to automatically monitor and quantify the individual and social behavior of Drosophila has been also described12.&#160; Zou et al. developed a behavioral monitor system (BMS) that uses two computer-assisted cameras to record lifetime behavior and movements such as resting, moving, flying, eating, drinking, or deaths of individual tephritid fruit flies13. Several other video systems have been developed to monitor fly behavioral activity14,15. &#160;
Here we describe a method for quantifying Drosophila activity that utilizes population monitors. These monitors are housed in temperature- and humidity-controlled incubators at 25 &#176;C on a 12 hour day-night light cycle. Each population monitor has infrared beams placed in rings positioned at three different heights. Every time a fly moves across the rings it interrupts the infrared beam, which is recorded by a microprocessor that independently records and counts the activity of flies within the vial. A microprocessor uploads the total activity within the vial to the computer at user-defined intervals that could vary from 1 second to 60 minutes. The method described here provides ample time for flies to adjust to the new environment and allows for simultaneous measuring of the spontaneous locomotor activity of as many as 120 populations of flies. In addition, we describe preparation of the food, fly maintenance, setting up the mobility population monitors in temperature controlled incubators, and potential factors that may affect results. This method can be used to study how different environmental or genetic modifications affect spontaneous locomotor activity of the flies.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Sucrose FCC Food Grade 100 LB,</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific MP Biomedicals</td>
			<td>ICN90471380</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Brewer&#8217;s Yeast</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific MP Biomedicals</td>
			<td>ICN90331280</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Drosophila Agar Fine</td>
			<td>SciMart</td>
			<td>DR-820-25F</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Cornmeal</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific MP Biomedicals</td>
			<td>ICN90141125</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Methyl4-hydroxybenzoate, tegosept</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>H5501-5KG</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>EtOH</td>
			<td>Pharmco-AAPER</td>
			<td>111000200</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Active Dry Yeast</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>ICN10140001</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fly CO2 pad</td>
			<td>LabScientific</td>
			<td>BGSU-7</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Stereo Microscope</td>
			<td>Olympus</td>
			<td>SZ40</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Drosophila carbon dioxide (CO2) tank</td>
			<td>Airgas</td>
			<td>UN1013</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Small paint brush for pushing the flies</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Shell vial wide</td>
			<td>Fischer Scientific</td>
			<td>AS519</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Buzzplugs for wide plastic vials</td>
			<td>Fischer Scientific</td>
			<td>AS275</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Glass vials (25x95mm)</td>
			<td>Fischer Scientific Kimble 60931-8</td>
			<td>AS-574</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sponge plugs for glass vials</td>
			<td>SciMart</td>
			<td>DR-750</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Drosophila Food Dispenser</td>
			<td>Applied Scientific (Fischer Scientific)</td>
			<td>AS780Q</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DPM Drosophila Population Monitor</td>
			<td>Trikinetics Inc.</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DC Power Supply with line cord</td>
			<td>Trikinetics Inc.</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>PSIU9 The Power Supply Interface Unit</td>
			<td>Trikinetics Inc.</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Telephone cables and 5 way splitters</td>
			<td>Trikinetics Inc.</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Universal Serial Bus (USB) hardware</td>
			<td>Trikinetics Inc.</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Macintosh or Windows PC with UCB port</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DAMSystem308X Data Acquisition Software for Macintoch OSX (Intel)</td>
			<td>www.trikinetics.com</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DAMSystem308 Data Acquisition Software for Windows PC (XP/Vista/7)</td>
			<td>www.trikinetics.com</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DAMFileScan108X software for Macintosh</td>
			<td>www.trikinetics.com</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DAMFileScan108X software for Windows PC (XP/Vista/7)</td>
			<td>www.trikinetics.com</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>USB software (PSIUdrivers.zip)</td>
			<td>www.trikinetics.com</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DAMSystem Notes 308</td>
			<td><a href="http://www.trikinetics.com/Downloads/DAMSystem%20Notes%20308.pdf">(http://www.trikinetics.com/Downloads/DAMSystem%20Notes%20308.pdf</a></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

determination of the spontaneous locomotor activity in drosophila melanogaster

Drosophila melanogaster has been used as an excellent model organism to study environmental and genetic manipulations that affect behavior. One such behavior is spontaneous locomotor activity. Here we describe our protocol that utilizes Drosophila population monitors and a tracking system that allows continuous monitoring of the spontaneous locomotor activity of flies for several days at a time. This method is simple, reliable, and objective and can be used to examine the effects of aging, sex, changes in caloric content of food, addition of drugs, or genetic manipulations that mimic human diseases.

The spontaneous locomotor activity in Drosophila depends on fly gender (Figure 3A), calorie content of the food (Figure 3B) and the light/dark cycle. Once the light is switched off fly activity dramatically decreases. Figure 3A illustrates 24 hours of locomotor activity recordings of male and female flies. An asterisk on the x-axis marks the time when the light was switched off and the transition to dark cycle. Figure 3B illustrates the standard...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Determination of the Spontaneous Locomotor Activity in Drosophila melanogaster at JoVE.com

Determination of the Spontaneous Locomotor Activity in Drosophila melanogaster

Drosophila melanogaster are useful in studying genetic or environmental manipulations that affect behaviors such as spontaneous locomotor activity.&#160; Here we describe a protocol that utilizes monitors with infrared beams and data analysis software to quantify spontaneous locomotor activity.&#160;

Determination of the Spontaneous Locomotor Activity in Drosophila melanogaster

Drosophila melanogaster has been used as an excellent model organism to study environmental and genetic manipulations that affect behavior. One such ...

determination-spontaneous-locomotor-activity-drosophila

Research

JoVE Journal

Neuroscience

12.6K Views.  University of Connecticut Health Center. Drosophila melanogaster are useful in studying genetic or environmental manipulations that affect behaviors such as spontaneous locomotor activity.  Here we describe a protocol that utilizes monitors with infrared beams and data analysis software to quantify spontaneous locomotor activity. 