Evolution of Neural Circuits and Behavior

How do neural circuits and behavior evolve across species? To address this question, we study courtship behavior in closely related Drosophila species. By combining cross-species behavioral analysis, genetics, neurophysiology, connectomics, and computer modeling, we investigate how evolutionary genetic changes modify neural circuit wiring, and how these wiring changes reshape neural computation and behavior.

Selected Publications

Activity of nested neural circuits drives different courtship songs in Drosophila

Shiozaki HM, Wang K, Lillvis JL, Xu M, Dickson BJ, Stern DL

Nature Neuroscience (2024) 27:1954–1965.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-024-01738-9

Nested neural circuits generate distinct acoustic signals during Drosophila courtship

Lillvis JL, Wang K, Shiozaki HM, Xu M, Stern DL, Dickson BJ

Current Biology (2024) 34:808-824.e6.

https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(24)00015-0

A Multi-regional Network Encoding Heading and Steering Maneuvers in Drosophila

Shiozaki HM, Ohta K, Kazama H

Neuron (2020) 106:126-141.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S089662732030009X

Parallel encoding of recent visual experience and self-motion information during navigation in Drosophila

Shiozaki HM, Kazama H

Nature Neuroscience (2017) 20:1395-1403.

https://www.nature.com/articles/nn.4628

Neural activity in cortical area V4 underlies fine disparity discrimination

Shiozaki HM, Tanabe S, Doi T, Fujita I

The Journal of Neuroscience (2012) 32:3830-3841.

https://www.jneurosci.org/content/32/11/3830

Hiroshi M. Shiozaki

Research Specialist III

Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Stowers Institute for Medical Science

B.S. (Mathematics), Osaka University

Ph.D. (Engineering), Osaka University

Postdoctoral Researcher, RIKEN Center for Brain Science

Research Scientist, HHMI/Janelia Research Campus