Abstract
Klinotaxis is a strategy of chemotaxis behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), and random walking is evident during its locomotion. As yet, the understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying these behaviors has remained limited. In this study, we present a connectome-based simulation model of C. elegans to concurrently realize realistic klinotaxis and random walk behaviors and explore their neural mechanisms. First, input to the model is derived from an ASE sensory neuron model in which the all-or-none depolarization characteristic of ASEL neuron is incorporated for the first time. Then, the neural network is evolved by an evolutionary algorithm; klinotaxis emerged spontaneously. We identify a plausible mechanism of klinotaxis in this model. Next, we propose the liquid synapse according to the stochastic nature of biological synapses and introduce it into the model. Adopting this, the random walk is generated autonomously by the neural network, providing a new hypothesis as to the neural mechanism underlying the random walk. Finally, simulated ablation results are fairly consistent with the biological conclusion, suggesting the similarity between our model and the biological network. Our study is a useful step forward in behavioral simulation and understanding the neural mechanisms of behaviors in C. elegans.
Highlights
Klinotaxis is a strategy of chemotaxis behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), and random walking is evident during its locomotion
To input realistic sensory responses into the klinotaxis model, we first constructed an ASE sensory neuron model, considering their electrophysiological characteristics recorded in previous studies[9,27–29] and using a conductance-based approach[30]
We conducted simulated ablations on neurons in each randomwalk model elegans and measured the chemotaxis indexes (CIs) to compare with the results of biological ablation experiments[7]
Summary
Klinotaxis is a strategy of chemotaxis behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), and random walking is evident during its locomotion. We present a connectome-based simulation model of C. elegans to concurrently realize realistic klinotaxis and random walk behaviors and explore their neural mechanisms. Our study is a useful step forward in behavioral simulation and understanding the neural mechanisms of behaviors in C. elegans. Because ASE neurons are too close together and C. elegans lies on its side, the spatial concentration information required for klinotaxis cannot be directly obtained from their responses. Zu et al.[26] proposed a computational model which decomposed the sensory input into two concentration gradients respectively required for two strategies of chemotaxis and implemented it in a network model
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