title: High-throughput imaging of neuronal activity in Caenorhabditis elegans.
abstract: Neuronal responses to sensory inputs can vary based on genotype, development, experience, or stochastic factors. Existing neuronal recording techniques examine a single animal at a time, limiting understanding of the variability and range of potential responses. To scale up neuronal recordings, we here describe a system for simultaneous wide-field imaging of neuronal calcium activity from at least 20 Caenorhabditis elegans animals under precise microfluidic chemical stimulation. This increased experimental throughput was used to perform a systematic characterization of chemosensory neuron responses to multiple odors, odor concentrations, and temporal patterns, as well as responses to pharmacological manipulation. The system allowed recordings from sensory neurons and interneurons in freely moving animals, whose neuronal responses could be correlated with behavior. Wide-field imaging provides a tool for comprehensive circuit analysis with elevated throughput in C. elegans.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Lulu and Anthony Wang Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065.
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Larsch
authors.forename: Donovan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ventimiglia
authors.forename: Cornelia I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Bargmann
authors.forename: Dirk R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Albrecht
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000502:physiology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002628:Chemoreceptor Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / Q000379:methods; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods*; D059906:Neuroimaging / Q000379:methods*; D009812:Odorants; D013268:Stimulation, Chemical; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium