{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"institution":[{"name":"bioRxiv"}],"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,23]],"date-time":"2026-08-23T16:59:08Z","timestamp":1787504348075,"version":"build-2736575974"},"posted":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,17]]},"group-title":"Neuroscience","reference-count":56,"publisher":"openRxiv","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,17]],"date-time":"2026-03-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1773705600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"award":["R01EY026031"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R01EY026031"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/03wkg3b53","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000181","name":"United States Air Force Office of Scientific Research","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["FA9550-23-1-0401"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["FA9550-23-1-0401"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000181","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"name":"National Science Foundation","award":["2016188"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2016188"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,17]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>\n                  Flying\n                  <jats:italic>Drosophila<\/jats:italic>\n                  critically depend on high-contrast visual surroundings to localize odor sources in still air, yet the neural mechanisms of visual integration for active odor tracking are unknown. We demonstrate that E-PG neurons\u2014head direction cells in the central complex\u2014work in concert with self-generated visual motion signals to maintain a stable heading metric during olfactory navigation in flight. Using a magnetic tether system and a digital \u201cvisual clamp\u201d, we show that removing the visual feedback generated by a fly\u2019s own turns (reafference) causes the animal to lose its heading within an odor plume. Thus, olfactory and mechanosensory signals alone are insufficient for plume stabilization. E-PG neurons have been shown to store visual changes in heading during flight. Genetically hyperpolarizing E-PG neurons significantly compromised the flies\u2019 ability to both acquire and maintain heading toward a food odor. Notably, silencing these neurons did not disrupt basic visual reflexes, such as optomotor gaze stabilization or object tracking, indicating a specific role in odor-directed visual navigation rather than basic visual flight control. While odor was found to modulate the frequency and amplitude of turns independently, E-PG neurons are essential for directing the orientation of corrective saccades toward the plume center. These results establish that visual reafference engages the internal visual compass to sustain a spatial working memory of heading changes between saccades, allowing flies to maintain a straight course and navigate effectively toward an invisible odor source in flight.\n                <\/jats:p>\n                <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Significance Statement<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    A crucial brain function that remains largely mysterious is building robust working memory by integrating stimuli across sensory modalities. For flying\n                    <jats:italic>Drosophila<\/jats:italic>\n                    , visual feedback is required to localize an odor source. Recently, a group of cells residing in the navigation center of the fly brain (E-PG neurons) have been shown to function like an internal compass, providing a dynamic working memory of heading changes akin to mammalian head-direction cells. Here, we show that self-generated visual motion signals work with E-PG compass neurons so that the direction of exploratory turns can be stored and recalled to maintain the animal\u2019s heading within an odor plume during flight.\n                  <\/jats:p>\n                <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.64898\/2026.03.13.711693","type":"posted-content","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,17]],"date-time":"2026-03-17T20:40:12Z","timestamp":1773780012000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Odor tracking in flying\n                  <i>Drosophila<\/i>\n                  requires visual reafference and compass neurons"],"prefix":"10.64898","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8010-4234","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"John Paul","family":"Currea","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-8827-0432","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ava E","family":"Bignell","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Isabelle","family":"Rieke-Wey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-5443-4777","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Daniela","family":"Limbania","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095"},{"name":"Neuroscience Department, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA 02481"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Brian J","family":"Duistermars","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8720-1117","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sara M","family":"Wasserman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neuroscience Department, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA 02481"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3277-3094","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mark A","family":"Frye","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"54368","reference":[{"key":"2026031914055477000_2026.03.13.711693v1.1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-ento-011613-162041"},{"key":"2026031914055477000_2026.03.13.711693v1.2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"J. 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