The Ruta lab has used Drosophila courtship as a paradigm to explore how innate behaviors emerge from genetically specified neural circuits, as well as how these circuits and are modified through evolution to generate species-specific variations in mating behavior. Using CRISPR genome editing, the lab will assess homologous sensory processing pathways in closely related drosophilids by translating neurogenetic tools from D. melanogaster (a popular Drosophila model) to other Drosophila species, analyzing changes within their brain circuits. As the etiology of many brain disorders entails aberrant neural circuit wiring, a deeper understanding of the link between genes, neural circuits, and behavior could have profound consequences for neurological health and inform treatment options.