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Genetics, Vol. 178, 2413-2416, April 2008, Copyright © 2008
doi:10.1534/genetics.107.085324
Visual Mutations Reveal Opposing Effects of Illumination on Arousal in Drosophila
Yuzhong Cheng and Howard A. Nash1
Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institutes of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-3736
1 Corresponding author: National Institutes of Health, Bldg. 35, Room 1B-1002, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892-3736.
E-mail: howardnash{at}mail.nih.gov
The effect of illumination on alertness can be assessed by comparing the efficacy of an anesthetic under light vs. dark conditions. Results from such tests on wild-type flies and visual mutants demonstrate that, surprisingly, light has both positive and negative influences on arousal. These dual effects may explain aspects of the fly's daily activity and have potential clinical implications.