The results of an international collaborative research project involving Associate Professor SCHWARTZMAN, Gregory of the Computing Science Research Area have been published in the academic journal Nature.
The paper presents a large-scale neural circuit map, or connectome, integrating the adult fruit fly brain and ventral nerve cord, and analyzes the neural circuit structures involved in processes ranging from sensory information processing to motor control. By examining the brain together with the ventral nerve cord, which roughly corresponds to the spinal cord, the study brings us closer to a comprehensive picture of the neural control mechanisms that generate behavior.
This research was conducted as a large-scale international collaboration involving Harvard Medical School and many other research institutions. Associate Professor Schwartzman contributed to the study by applying his expertise in algorithm design and data science.

Comment from Associate Professor Gregory Schwartzman
This study is an international collaborative effort to understand the large-scale neural circuits connecting the fruit fly brain and nerve cord. Although I am not a lead author of the paper, I am very pleased to have contributed to the computational aspects of such an interdisciplinary and large-scale study. Algorithms and data science are becoming increasingly important for understanding the complex structures of neural circuits. I hope that this achievement will further promote collaboration between neuroscience and information science.

Comment from Prof Amane Koizumi, Trustee and Vice President for Research Strategy, who also specializes in neuroscience
Connectome research is an important frontier of modern neuroscience. By comprehensively mapping the connections between neurons, it seeks to understand how the brain processes information and generates behavior. This achievement is particularly significant because it analyzes not only the fruit fly brain but also the nerve cord involved in body movement in an integrated manner.
The analysis of such large-scale neural circuit data requires expertise in algorithms and data science. The contribution of a JAIST researcher to a Nature paper as a member of an international collaborative research team demonstrates that computing science research at JAIST can contribute to cutting-edge research in life science and neuroscience.

Publication Information
Journal: Nature
Title: Distributed control circuits across a brain-and-cord connectome
Publication date: June 8, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10735-w

Related Link
Harvard Medical School article:
Researchers Publish First Complete Connectome of Fruit Fly Brain and "Spinal Cord"
https://hms.harvard.edu/news/researchers-publish-first-complete-connectome-fruit-fly-brain-spinal-cord

June 18, 2026