Sex-deprived male fruit flies drink more alcohol!

[Analog]

Sexually deprived male fruit flies exhibit a pattern of behavior that seems ripped from the pages of a sad-sack Raymond Carver story: when female fruit flies reject their sexual advances, the males are driven to excessive alcohol consumption, drinking far more than comparable, sexually satisfied male flies.

Now a group of scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) has discovered that a tiny molecule in the fly's brain called neuropeptide F governs this behavior—as the levels of the molecule change in their brains, the flies' behavior changes as well.
The new work may help shed light on the brain mechanisms that make social interaction rewarding for animals and those that underlie human addiction. A similar human molecule, called neuropeptide Y, may likewise connect social triggers to behaviors like excessive drinking and drug abuse. Adjusting the levels of neuropeptide Y in people may alter their addictive behavior—which is exactly what the UCSF team observed in the fruit flies.
"If neuropeptide Y turns out to be the transducer between the state of the psyche and the drive to abuse alcohol and drugs, one could develop therapies to inhibit neuropeptide Y receptors," said Ulrike Heberlein, PhD, a Professor of Anatomy and Neurology at UCSF, who led the research.
Clinical trials are underway, she added, to test whether delivery of neuropeptide Y can alleviate anxiety and other mood disorders as well as obesity.


http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-03-sex-deprived-fruit-flies-alcohol-uncover.html

 

[JulesMaximus]

I just sent this to my wife with the caption, "can you get me to give up alcohol?"

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Stay strong, my fly brothers!

 

[HardcoreRobot]

pic delivers

 

[Itchrelief]

pic delivers

It almost looks like their eyes are glazed over.

 

[Imp]

If only they had hands...

 

[Texashiker]

Sent to my wife,

 

[AMDZen]

This explains a lot

 

[shortylickens]

This obviously does not apply to humans. I drank a LOT way back when I was getting laid.
Havent any a drop since my forced chastity.

 

[zinfamous]

pic delivers

our lab works with fruit flies (not melanogaster, though), and particularly--sex chromosome evolution.

We have a lab shirt for the big fly meeting last year--it is simply 2 flies fucking.


btw--when it comes to Drosophila, commonly referred to as fruit flies (this is what 98% of people mean when they say "fruit fly"), they aren't really fruit flies.

More accurately, they are vinegar or "booze" flies. They are attracted to fermented waste, not fresh fruit. Besides giving us the foundation of nearly the entire field of Modern genetics, the humble fruit fly has provided extensive for ADH.

 

[Analog]

pic delivers

:thumbsup::thumbsup: