● http://flybrain.neurobio.arizona.edu/

For anyone looking for a starting point from which to find out about the anatomy of the fly brain, the aptly named Flybrain is a website worth visiting. Describing itself as “an online atlas and database of the Drosophila nervous system,” this is a useful and comprehensive site that includes clear, well drawn schematics, as well as a range of photomicrographs.

The schematics are a good place to start. When you select a schematic of a frontal section, for example, you are presented with a colourful, clear diagram labelled with abbreviations, which you can click to go to pages containing micrographs and information about the structure in question. The amount of information provided varies, but the micrographs are of uniformly excellent quality and are provided at a large enough size to be really useful.

The site also includes summary pages on each of the main structures of the fly nervous system — the antennal lobes, mushroom bodies and so on. These will be a particularly helpful resource for students, or for those who want a quick reminder or overview of the anatomy and function of one of these structures. There are also sections devoted to three-dimensional models of the fly brain, neural development in Drosophila , and different types of staining, including immunocytochemistry.

The main limitation of this site is that it has not been updated recently. There are one or two places where material has still to be added, and it is clear that a resource of this kind must be maintained if it is to remain useful.