title: Automated imaging of neuronal activity in freely behaving Caenorhabditis elegans.
abstract: In order to understand how neuronal circuits control locomotory patterns it is necessary to record neuronal activity of freely behaving animals. Here, using a new automated system for simultaneous recording of behavior and neuronal activity in freely moving Caenorhabditis elegans on standard agar plates, we show that spontaneous reversals from forward to backward locomotion reflect precisely the activity of the AVA command interneurons. We also witness spontaneous activity transients in the PLM sensory neurons during free behavior of the worm in standard conditions. We show that these activity transients are coupled to short spontaneous forward accelerations of the worm.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physique Statistique de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, UPMC, 24, rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris, France. juliette.benarous@lps.ens.fr
authors.forename: Juliette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ben Arous
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanizawa
authors.forename: Ithai
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rabinowitch
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chatenay
authors.forename: William R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Schafer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D020013:Calcium Signaling / Q000502:physiology; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007395:Interneurons / Q000502:physiology; D008124:Locomotion / Q000502:physiology*; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009154:Mutation / Q000502:physiology; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D011984:Sensory Receptor Cells / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium