Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42063566›Full record

ArticleiScience2026

The Drosophila connectome reveals axo-axonic synapses on descending neurons.

Cesar Ceballos, Juan Lopez, Ty Roachford, Daniel Sanchez, Sabrina Jara, Kelli Robbins, Casey L Spencer, Rodney Murphey, Rodrigo F O Pena

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in iScience, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Cesar CeballosDepartment of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA.
Juan LopezDepartment of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA.
Ty RoachfordDepartment of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA.
Daniel SanchezDepartment of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA.
Sabrina JaraDepartment of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA.
Kelli RobbinsDepartment of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA.
Casey L SpencerHarriet Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA.
Rodney MurpheyDepartment of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA.
Rodrigo F O PenaDepartment of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Axo-axonic synapses can veto, amplify, or synchronize spikes, yet their circuit-scale logic is unknown. Using the complete electron microscopy connectome of the adult male Drosophila, we charted every axo-axonic input onto the 1,314 descending neurons that carry brain commands to the ventral nerve cord. By definition, any synapse connected to a descending neuron within the cord is axo-axonic. Thus, we uncovered the ascending-descending and interneurons-descending axo-axonic relationship. Neurons with many partners (high-degree) integrate into the network without clustering into an interconnected "rich-club" of hubs. We identified an octet of ascending neurons (AN08B098) whose axo-axonic input to the giant fibers (DNp01) predicted modulation of the escape circuit. Immunostaining confirms their cholinergic identity, while optogenetic activation confirmed that this excitatory cohort increases DNp01 excitability, validating connectome-derived rules. Our work delivers a map of axo-axonic wiring in a complete ventral nerve cord connectome and provides constraints for models of fast motor control.

Indexed as

biological sciencesneuroanatomyneuroscience

Identifiers

PMID42063566
PMCPMC13126034

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.