Potential role of a ventral nerve cord central pattern generator in forward and backward locomotion in Caenorhabditis elegans

TL;DR

This study presents a computational model suggesting a ventral nerve cord central pattern generator could produce rhythmic contractions in C. elegans, providing insights into its locomotion mechanisms.

Contribution

We developed a neuroanatomy-based computational model and used evolutionary algorithms to identify a potential ventral nerve cord circuit responsible for locomotion.

Findings

Ventral nerve cord circuit can generate rhythmic contractions.

Model matches neural traces during forward and backward movement.

Supports the hypothesis of a central pattern generator in C. elegans.

Abstract

Despite the relative simplicity of C. elegans, its locomotion machinery is not yet well understood. We focus on the generation of dorsoventral body bends. While central pattern generators are commonly involved in animal locomotion, their presence in C. elegans has been questioned due to a lack of an evident neural circuit to support it. We developed a computational model grounded in the available neuroanatomy and neurophysiology and we used an evolutionary algorithm to explore the space of possible configurations of the circuit that matched the neural traces observed during forward and backward locomotion in the worm. Our results demonstrate that it is possible for the rhythmic contraction to be produced by a circuit present in the ventral nerve cord.