Neural circuits underlying sensorimotor behaviors in C. elegans

秀丽隐杆线虫感觉运动行为的神经回路

• 批准号: RGPIN-2014-05117
• 负责人: Hendricks, Michael
• 金额: $ 2.55万
• 依托单位: McGill University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2015-01-01 至 2016-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=588223
• 关键词: Neural; circuits; underlying; sensorimotor; behaviors

All animals have evolved specific behaviors that allow them to find resources and avoid harm. The production of fixed, innate behaviors such as reflexes, depends on the function of dedicate neural circuits. However, behavior must also be flexible and adapt to new conditions. Neural circuits also mediate these more complex behaviors. The structural and functional properties of these circuits are established by genes that specify the development of the brain, and are further shaped and modulated by experience. By studying neural circuits in a wide range of animals and in many behavioral contexts, we can gain understanding of the fundamental mechanisms by which nervous systems process information and produce behavior. We study neural circuits and behavior in a simple animal, Caenorhabditis elegans, a one millimeter long roundworm. C. elegans has just 302 nerve cells, or neurons, yet it is behaviorally complex, exhibiting both innate behaviors and adapting to its environment and experiences. Because C. elegans is blind, it relies principally on chemical senses, similar to smell and taste, to navigate its environment. We are studying the neural circuits that allow worms to detect and locate (or avoid) critical resources or dangers in its environment. There are three key attributes of C. elegans that make it an attractive animals to study in this manner: 1) It is the only animal in which the complete set of connections between all of its neurons—referred to as the “wiring diagram”—has been describe; 2) Its navigation behaviors can be easily and quantitatively described with video analysis; and 3) It is transparent, and using genetic methods we can label its neurons with fluorescent molecules that allow us to monitor the activity of each neuron during behavioral tasks. Together, this work is an opportunity to look across scales of biological organization, from individual cells, to networks of interacting neurons, to the organism-level behaviors that result. Such an integrative view is essential to understanding behavior, its variation, and its evolution.

所有动物都进化出了特定的行为，使它们能够寻找资源并避免伤害。固定的、先天的行为（例如反射）的产生取决于专用神经回路的功能。然而，行为也必须灵活并适应新的条件。神经回路也介导这些更复杂的行为。这些回路的结构和功能特性是由指定大脑发育的基因确定的，并由经验进一步塑造和调节。通过研究各种动物和许多行为环境中的神经回路，我们可以了解神经系统处理信息和产生行为的基本机制。 我们研究一种简单的动物——秀丽隐杆线虫（一种一毫米长的蛔虫）的神经回路和行为。线虫只有 302 个神经细胞或神经元，但其行为却很复杂，既表现出先天行为，又适应环境和经历。由于线虫是盲目的，因此它主要依靠化学感官（类似于嗅觉和味觉）来导航其环境。我们正在研究允许蠕虫检测和定位（或避免）其环境中的关键资源或危险的神经回路。线虫具有三个关键属性，使其成为以这种方式进行研究的有吸引力的动物：1）它是唯一一种所有神经元之间的完整连接（称为“接线图”）已被描述的动物； 2）通过视频分析可以轻松定量地描述其导航行为； 3）它是透明的，使用遗传方法，我们可以用荧光分子标记其神经元，从而使我们能够在行为任务期间监测每个神经元的活动。总之，这项工作提供了一个机会来审视生物组织的各个尺度，从单个细胞到相互作用的神经元网络，再到由此产生的有机体水平的行为。这种综合观点对于理解行为、其变化和演变至关重要。