We have characterized a cluster of four serotonergic neurons in Drosophila larval brain: cell bodies are
located in the subesophageal ganglion (SOG) whose neuronal processes project into the enteric nervous
system. Electrophysiological, calcium imaging and behavioral analyses indicate a functional role of these
neurons in modulating foregut motility. We suggest that the axonal projections of this serotonergic cluster
may be part of a brain–gut neural pathway that is functionally analogous to the vertebrate vagus
nerve.
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