Simulated fly on LSD: connectome wired with eyes shows T4/T5 activity up 10–20%

Merzmensch · x · 2026-09-24

SidesOfGiulia updated the 'fly on drugs' simulation: simulated fly eyes are now wired into the fruit fly connectome's visual pathway, walking through a mushroom arena. Using published scRNA-seq data (62k visual neurons), a serotonin receptor map extended into the optic lobe models an LSD-like drug (5-HT2A/2B-weighted). Results match literature: with identical retinal input, T4/T5 activity rises 10–20%, L2 variability +57%, and fine spatial detail drops 12%; shuffling the receptor map eliminates the effect.

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