The fruit fly (Drosophila) is commonly utilized in laboratory research in a wide variety of scientific disciplines. For example, sleep disorder studies have employed the fruit fly as an experimental model with notable results. Featured below is a fluorescence digital image captured with a confocal laser scanning microscope of a triple-labeled Drosophila eye imaginal disc recovered from the third instar larval developmental stage.

Fruit Fly Imaginal Disc: Third Instar Eye Specimen: Drosophila Imaginal Disc Technique: Fluorescence (Triple Label)

One group of researchers found that fruit flies and humans share a similar genetic structure that is responsible for controlling sleeping patterns. The fact that the sleeping patterns of the fruit flies are altered when substances such as caffeine and antihistamines are introduced seems to confirm, or at least add evidence for, these conclusions. Scientists hope that by studying the fruit fly, they might continue to make discoveries that will have positive implications for the treatment of a range of sleeping disorders, from narcolepsy to sleep walking and sleep apnea.