Temporal processing and context dependency in C. elegans response to mechanosensation

Abstract
Data availability
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Abstract

A quantitative understanding of how sensory signals are transformed into motor outputs places useful constraints on brain function and helps reveal the brain's underlying computations. We investigate how the nematode C. elegans responds to time-varying mechanosensory signals using a high-throughput optogenetic assay and automated behavior quantification. We find that the behavioral response is tuned to temporal properties of mechanosensory signals, like its integral and derivative, that extend over many seconds. Mechanosensory signals, even in the same neurons, can be tailored to elicit different behavioral responses. Moreover, we find that the animal's response also depends on its behavioral context. Most dramatically, the animal ignores all tested mechanosensory stimuli during turns. Finally, we present a linear-nonlinear model that predicts the animal's behavioral response to stimulus.

Data availability

Stimulus and behavior data has been made publicly available on Figshare https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.5956348 . Raw imaging data (2TB) has been made publicly available on IEEE DataPorts http://dx.doi.org/10.21227/H27944 .

The following data sets were generated

1. Liu M
2. Sharma AK
3. Shaevitz JW
4. Leifer AM
(2018) Temporal processing and context dependency in C. elegans mechanosensation dataset
10.21227/H27944.

http://dx.doi.org/10.21227/H27944
1. Liu M
2. Sharma AK
3. Shaevitz JW
4. Leifer AM
(2018) Temporal processing and context dependency in C. elegans mechanosensation stimulus and behavior dataset
10.6084/m9.figshare.5956348.

https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.5956348

Article and author information

Author details

Mochi Liu

Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, United States

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
Anuj Kumar Sharma

Department of Physics, Princeton University, Princeton, United States

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.

"This ORCID iD identifies the author of this article:" 0000-0001-5061-9731
Josh Shaevitz

Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, United States

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
Andrew Michael Leifer

Department of Physics, Princeton University, Princeton, United States

For correspondence
leifer@princeton.edu

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.

"This ORCID iD identifies the author of this article:" 0000-0002-5362-5093

Funding

Simons Foundation (SCGB #324285)

Andrew Michael Leifer

National Institutes of Health (National Human Genome Research Institute Award Number T32HG003284)

Mochi Liu

Princeton University (Dean for Research Innovation Fund)

Josh Shaevitz
Andrew Michael Leifer

Simons Foundation (SCGB #543003)

Andrew Michael Leifer

The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.

Copyright

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License permitting unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.