From head to tail: a neuromechanical model of forward locomotion in Caenorhabditis elegans.

ABSTRACT: With 302 neurons and a near-complete reconstruction of the neural and muscle anatomy at the cellular level, Caenorhabditis elegans is an ideal candidate organism to study the neuromechanical basis of behaviour. Yet despite the breadth of knowledge about the neurobiology, anatomy and physics of C. elegans, there are still a number of unanswered questions about one of its most basic and fundamental behaviours: forward locomotion. How the rhythmic pattern is generated and propagated along the body is not yet well understood. We report on the development and analysis of a model of forward locomotion that integrates the neuroanatomy, neurophysiology and body mechanics of the worm. Our model is motivated by experimental analysis of the structure of the ventral cord circuitry and the effect of lo

SUBMITTER: Izquierdo EJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6158225 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature