Topics and Trends in Most Cited Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research Papers

Ranked by citations 18 months after publication

Class of 2026 (Papers Published in 2024)

What topics and trends defined most-cited Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research research in the Class of 2026?

The Class of 2026 in insect neurobiology is anchored by whole-brain connectomics and synaptic connectivity, with Drosophila melanogaster remaining the primary model organism. Whole-brain connectomics and descending motor neurons surged sharply, while single-cell receptor recording and classical neurotransmitter signaling topics experienced relative declines.

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Updated July 21, 2026

At a glance

Field
Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
Cohort label
Class of 2026 (2024 publications)
Papers analyzed
3,912
Papers ranked
20
Top topics in ranked papers
Connectome, synaptic connectivity, courtship behavior, descending neurons, chemosensory processing
Publication window
Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024
Eligibility
Research articles; reviews excluded
Citation window
18 months post-publication
18m citation range
38–400
Data source
OpenAlex · Retrieved Jul 2026
License
CC BY 4.0

Rankings

20 papers ranked by 18-month citation count

#1 of 3,912
40018m citations

Neuronal wiring diagram of an adult brain

Sven Dorkenwald et al.Nature202410.1038/s41586-024-07558-y

H. Sebastian Seung, Mala MurthyPrinceton University, United States

ConnectomeDrosophila melanogaster adult brainMicroscopyNeural circuitsSynaptic connectivityNeuron typeshemilineagesprojectomeSensory neuronsascending neuronsMotor neuronsNeuroendocrine cellsDescending neuronscentral brainBrain regionsphotoreceptorsSensorimotor integrationinformation flow analysis
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#2 of 3,912
30118m citations

Whole-brain annotation and multi-connectome cell typing of Drosophila

Philipp Schlegel et al.Nature202410.1038/s41586-024-07686-5

Philipp SchlegelMRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, United Kingdom

Drosophila melanogasterFlyWire connectomehemibrain connectomeNeuron typeshemilineagesConnectomecross-brain cell type matchingMushroom bodyfunctional homeostasisSynaptic connectivityneuron count variabilityhierarchical cell classificationNeuronal morphologyquantitative cell type definitionconnection reliability heuristicsconsensus cell type atlas
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#3 of 3,912
12918m citations

Keypoint-MoSeq: parsing behavior by linking point tracking to pose dynamics

Caleb Weinreb et al.Nature Methods202410.1038/s41592-024-02318-2

Scott W. Linderman, Sandeep Robert DattaHarvard Medical School, United States

keypoint-MoSeqkeypoint trackingpose dynamicsbehavioral syllablesunsupervised clusteringgenerative modelkeypoint noise filteringsub-second pose discontinuitiesneural-behavioral correlationssocial behavior classificationsniff-aligned movementsoscillatory behaviorsDrosophila melanogastermicemodular behavior structurevideo-based behavioral analysisaction segmentationpose estimation
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#4 of 3,912
12018m citations

Neurotransmitter classification from electron microscopy images at synaptic sites in Drosophila melanogaster

Nils Eckstein et al.Cell202410.1016/j.cell.2024.03.016

Gregory S.X.E. Jefferis, Jan FunkeHHMI Janelia Research Campus, United States

MicroscopyConnectomeSynaptic connectivityartificial neural networksDrosophila melanogasterCholinergic signalingglutamateGABAergic inhibitionSerotonergic signalingDopaminergic signalingoctopaminepresynapse ultrastructuredevelopmental lineagefast-acting transmittersultrastructural features
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#5 of 3,912
8918m citations

Network statistics of the whole-brain connectome of Drosophila

Albert Lin, Runzhe Yang et al.Nature202410.1038/s41586-024-07968-y

Mala MurthyPrinceton University, United States

FlyWire connectomeFlyWireNetwork motifsrich-club organizationSynaptic connectivityNeuron typesBrain regionsintegrator neuronsbroadcaster neuronsRecurrent connectivitytopological featureshighly connected neuronsanatomically defined brain regionswiring diagram comparisonFlyWire Codex
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#8 of 3,912
7618m citations

Connectomic reconstruction of a female Drosophila ventral nerve cord

Anthony Azevedo, Ellen Lesser, Jasper S Phelps, Brandon Mark et al.Nature202410.1038/s41586-024-07389-x

Wei-Chung Allen LeeUniversity of Washington, United States

ConnectomeDrosophila melanogasterVentral nerve cordfemale nervous systemMicroscopyNeural circuitsSynaptic connectivitycentral nervous systemsegmental gangliaDescending neuronsascending neuronsMotor neuronsInterneuronsserial section electron microscopycircuit mappingNeuronal morphology
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#9 of 3,912
7418m citations

Connectome-constrained networks predict neural activity across the fly visual system

Janne K Lappalainen et al.Nature202410.1038/s41586-024-07939-3

Srinivas C. TuragaTübingen University, Germany

ConnectomeDrosophila visual systemoptic lobe motion pathways64 cell typesSynaptic connectivityNeuronal activityvisual motion detectiondeep learning optimizationmechanistic modelingexperimentally testable predictionsDrosophila melanogasterneural computationmodel network optimizationbiologically-constrained models
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#10 of 3,912
7418m citations

Synaptic connectome of the Drosophila circadian clock

Nils Reinhard, Ayumi Fukuda et al.Nature Communications202410.1038/s41467-024-54694-0

Charlotte Helfrich‐Förster, Meet ZandawalaJulius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg, Germany

Circadian rhythmFlyWire connectomedorsal clock neuronsInterhemispheric interactionsindirect light input pathwaysDescending neuronsFeeding behaviorCourtship behaviorSynaptic connectivityNeuroendocrine cellssingle-cell RNA sequencingreceptor mappingparacrine peptidergic signalingneuropeptides in clock neuronsConnectomeclock output pathwayshigher-order brain centerscircadian network interconnectivity
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#11 of 3,912
6318m citations

A Drosophila computational brain model reveals sensorimotor processing

Philip K Shiu et al.Nature202410.1038/s41586-024-07763-9

Philip K. ShiuUniversity of California, Berkeley, United States

Drosophila melanogaster central brain connectomeleaky integrate-and-fire computational modelSynaptic connectivityGustatory neuronsfeeding initiationMotor neuronsoptogenetic activationaversive taste processingappetitive taste processingNeural circuitsantennal grooming circuitSensory neuronsSensorimotor integrationgrooming behaviorFeeding behaviortaste modalities interactioncircuit-level predictions
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#12 of 3,912
6118m citations

Neuronal parts list and wiring diagram for a visual system

Arie Matsliah, Szi-Chieh Yu et al.Nature202410.1038/s41586-024-07981-1

Mala Murthy, H. Sebastian SeungPrinceton University, United States

Brain regionsConnectomeNeuron typesTm cell familyLi cell familyLPi cell familyserpentine medulla interneuronsSm interneuron familycross-neuropil typeswiring diagramboundary typesmotion visionobject visioncolour visionhigh-dimensional feature spacevisual field integrationoptic lobe-central brain connectivity
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#13 of 3,912
5018m citations

Converting an allocentric goal into an egocentric steering signal

Peter Mussells Pires et al.Nature202410.1038/s41586-023-07006-3

Gaby MaimonThe Rockefeller University, United States

allocentric coordinatesegocentric steering signalBrain regionsheading directiongoal angleEPG neuronsFC2 cellsPFL3 cellsfocal optogenetic activationSynaptic connectivityconjunctive spike-rate tuninggoal-directed navigationnavigational memory tasksynaptic transmission disruptorspopulation-level allocentric signalscircuit-level modelangular orientation encoding
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#14 of 3,912
5018m citations

Why flying insects gather at artificial light

Samuel T Fabian, Yash Sondhi et al.Nature Communications202410.1038/s41467-024-44785-3

Samuel T. Fabian, Yash SondhiImperial College London, United Kingdom

nocturnal insectsartificial lightlunar navigationescape to the lightthree-dimensional flight datahigh-resolution motion capturestereo-videography3D kinematicsdorsal-light-responseflight attitudedorsum orientationbrightest visual hemisphereflight controlguidance modellight trapping behavior
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#16 of 3,912
4118m citations

Structural basis for sugar perception by <i>Drosophila</i> gustatory receptors

Demin Ma, Meiqin Hu, Xiaotong Yang, Qiang Liu et al.Science202410.1126/science.adj2609

Demin Ma, Meiqin Hu, Xiaotong Yang, Qiang Liu, Nannan Su, Minrui Fan, Haoxing Xu, Jiangtao GuoZhejiang University, China

Gustatory receptorsGR43aGR64aDrosophila melanogastertetrameric sugar-gated cation channelspore domainligand-binding domainsfructosemonosaccharidesucrosemaltosedisaccharidessugar bindingchannel openingconformational changecryo-EM structureseven transmembrane proteins
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#17 of 3,912
4118m citations

miR-276 and miR-182013-5p modulate insect metamorphosis and reproduction via dually regulating juvenile hormone acid methyltransferase

Jiasheng Song, Wanwan Li et al.Communications Biology202410.1038/s42003-024-07285-0

Shutang ZhouHenan University, China

miR-276miR-182013-5pjuvenile hormone acid methyltransferaseJhamtjuvenile hormone biosynthesisJH titerinsect metamorphosismigratory locustprecocious nymphal ecdysisvitellogenesismiRNA dual regulationnymphal developmentVg expressionrate-limiting enzymemiRNA-mRNA binding dynamics
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#18 of 3,912
4018m citations

Thermal infrared directs host-seeking behaviour in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes

Avinash Chandel, Nicolas A DeBeaubien et al.Nature202410.1038/s41586-024-07848-5

Craig MontellUniversity of California, Santa Barbara, United States

Aedes aegyptithermal infrared radiationhost-seeking behaviorTRPA1Sensory neuronsopsinsCO2 sensingorganic odoursvisual cuesmid-range navigationradiant energy detectionMultisensory integrationdengue virus vectoryellow fever virus vectorZika virus vectorheat-activated ion channelmosquito neurophysiology
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#19 of 3,912
4018m citations

Engineered odorant receptors illuminate the basis of odour discrimination

Claire A de March, Ning Ma, Christian B Billesbølle et al.Nature202410.1038/s41586-024-08126-0

Claire A. de March, Nagarajan Vaidehi, Aashish Manglik, Hiroaki MatsunamiDuke University, United States

Olfactory receptorsOlfactory codingreceptor engineeringolfactory systemligand-receptor interactionsstructure-function relationshipsChemosensory processingreceptor specificitymolecular recognition
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Dominant research themes and year-over-year shifts in Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research

What Topics Define the Class of 2026?

The Class of 2026 in insect neurobiology and physiology is dominated by whole-brain structural and functional mapping. Drosophila melanogaster remains the foundational model organism for genetic and optical manipulation, featured in 36% of top-ranked publications in this field. The primary intellectual engine driving recent progress is circuit-level connectomics, highlighted by the prominent representation of Connectome (32% of papers) and Synaptic connectivity (30%). Neural circuit analyses increasingly target complex innate behaviors, led by Courtship behavior (14%), Descending neurons (12%), and Sensorimotor integration (8%). Secondary research clusters focus on sensory processing and neurophysiology, including Chemosensory processing (10%), Olfactory receptors (10%), Feeding behavior (8%), Motor neurons (8%), and biophysical channel opening dynamics (8%). Emerging work integrates FlyWire connectomic datasets with computational neural network modeling, gut-brain axis communication, and cryo-EM structures of membrane receptors. Together, these thematic topics demonstrate that modern insect physiology research has transitioned from isolated single-neuron recordings into an era of brain-wide synaptic connectomics, descending motor control architecture, and high-resolution structural neurobiology.

Leading research themes
Leading research themes

How Did Topics Shift from the Class of 2025 to the Class of 2026?

Comparing the Class of 2025 and Class of 2026 reveals a dramatic reallocation of research focus toward circuit-scale reconstruction and motor command control. Connectome emerged as the top rising concept, expanding from 14% of papers in 2023 (7 papers) to 32% in 2024 (16 papers, representing a +18 percentage point gain and 2.29-fold increase). Synaptic connectivity grew from 18% to 30% (+12 percentage points), while Descending neurons surged sixfold from 2% to 12% (1 to 6 papers). Breakthrough topics appearing for the first time in 2024 include ion channel opening (8%), FlyWire connectome resources (6%), cryo-EM structure determination (6%), Gustatory receptors (6%), and Neuroendocrine cells (6%). In contrast, single-cell functional profiling and traditional neurotransmitter signaling saw relative declines: Olfactory receptor neurons decreased from 10% to 4%, while Cholinergic signaling and Dopaminergic signaling each dropped from 8% to 4%. Motor neurons remained stable at 8%. These shifts reflect a field-wide transition toward structural circuit mapping and brain-wide descending motor control.

How topics shifted year over year
How topics shifted year over year
Methodology

PRI identifies high-impact research using a transparent, topic-agnostic framework applied consistently across scientific domains. Bibliographic records are drawn from OpenAlex, including publication dates, citation relationships, and document types.

This ranking covers the Class of 2026 cohort: journal articles published in 2024. Reviews and other non-article document types are excluded to ensure comparability.

Research impact is quantified with an 18-month post-publication citation window—the number of citing works published within 18 months of each paper's publication date. This metric captures early impact while controlling for publication age.

An LLM-based relevance classifier then reviews each candidate's title and abstract to confirm substantive alignment with the target domain. Only papers classified as relevant appear in the final ranking.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459

Full methodologyGitHubbioRxiv preprint

Cite this ranking

Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/neurobiology-and-insect-physiology-research/2026. Accessed 2026-07-21.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459