Sensory correlates of imaginal conditioning in Drosophila melanogaster.

Chemotactic responses of Drosophila to certain esters and alcohols are experience dependent. When the flies are exposed after eclosion to these chemicals, the odorants become strongly attractive. We show that behavioral conditioning is accompanied by an increase in the electrophysiological responses of single neurons in sensilla basiconica. Sensitization involves odorants that act on a common olfactory receptor. The possible mechanism of imaginal conditioning and its ecological and evolutionary significance are discussed.