Behavioral control by depolarized and hyperpolarized states of an integrating neuron

eLife

Aylesse Sordillo¹  Cornelia I Bargmann² 

[1] Lulu and Anthony Wang Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, United States;Lulu and Anthony Wang Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, United States;Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Redwood City, United States;

关键词: neural circuits;    synapses;    gap junctions;    C. elegans;   

DOI  :  10.7554/eLife.67723

来源: eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd

【 摘 要 】

Coordinated transitions between mutually exclusive motor states are central to behavioral decisions. During locomotion, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans spontaneously cycles between forward runs, reversals, and turns with complex but predictable dynamics. Here, we provide insight into these dynamics by demonstrating how RIM interneurons, which are active during reversals, act in two modes to stabilize both forward runs and reversals. By systematically quantifying the roles of RIM outputs during spontaneous behavior, we show that RIM lengthens reversals when depolarized through glutamate and tyramine neurotransmitters and lengthens forward runs when hyperpolarized through its gap junctions. RIM is not merely silent upon hyperpolarization: RIM gap junctions actively reinforce a hyperpolarized state of the reversal circuit. Additionally, the combined outputs of chemical synapses and gap junctions from RIM regulate forward-to-reversal transitions. Our results indicate that multiple classes of RIM synapses create behavioral inertia during spontaneous locomotion.

【 授权许可】

CC BY