How do Changes in Neural Dynamics Influence Behavior in C. elegans During Periods of Sleep-like Quiescence?
Ruben Castro Corral
Department of Biology
Faculty Supervisor: Megumi Fuse
Sleep is essential for memory consolidation; however, the mechanisms that occur during sleep to allow for memory consolidation remain unknown. Understanding these mechanisms can influence the development of therapeutics addressing sleep-like disorders, a precursor of neurodegenerative diseases. C. elegans, a transparent nematode, served as our model organism for this study due to its easily visible connectome, easy genetic manipulation, and fast development. We investigated potential predictors of sleep by examining the neural traces of conditioned C. elegans, which showed an increase in sleep-like quiescent bouts, and correlated these neural traces with the observed behavior. We hypothesized that motor neurons would not show activity during sleep-like bouts. We cultivated a strain with a GCaMP and mCherry-tagged AIB neuron, a reversal interneuron. These C. elegans were conditioned through a Long Term Memory assay and imaged via confocal microscopy to capture behavioral recordings. A chemotaxis assay assessed learning and memory. A machine learning algorithm extracted the activity trace of AIB, and cross-validation methods displayed the times AIB showed activity during sleep-like bouts. Our results identified three other neurons with higher consistency and significance during sleep-like quiescent bouts. Therefore, while the AIB reversal interneuron displays activity during sleep-like bouts, additional neurons also display activity.