A Behavioral Stress Assay in Drosophila Larvae
- ↵1Corresponding author (Condron{at}virginia.edu)
INTRODUCTION
This protocol describes a simple behavioral assay designed to test the response of Drosophila larvae to a homeostatic insult: bright light. Treating normally photophobic larvae with bright light before placing them near a target food source reveals a greater latency to reach the target when compared to controls not receiving light treatment. This effect is reversible given a recovery period after light treatment, and it may reveal a method by which to measure behavioral plasticity and stress responses in fruit fly larvae.
