Irrational behavior in C. elegans arises from asymmetric modulatory effects within single sensory neurons

Iwanir, Shachar; Ruach, Rotem; Itskovits, Eyal; Pritz, Christian; Bokman, Eduard; Zaslaver, Alon

doi:10.1038/s41467-019-11163-3

Cited by 20 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 70 publications

(74 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…We begin by analyzing neuroplasticity of the sensory system, naturally focusing on the chemosensory neurons. To measure response dynamics in individual chemosensory neurons, we imaged a transgenic strain that expresses the genetically encoded calcium indicator, GCaMP, in virtually all chemosensory neurons (Iwanir et al , 2019) . We restrained the animals in a microfluidic device (Chronis, Zimmer and Bargmann, 2007) , and used a fast-scanning confocal system to collect fluorescent image stacks of all chemosensory neurons during exposure to the CS butanone ( Fig.…”

Section: (B)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Principles for coding associative memories in a compact neural network

Pritz

Itskovits

Bokman

et al. 2020

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A major goal in neuroscience is to elucidate the principles by which memories are stored in a neural network. Here, we have systematically studied how the four types of associative memories (short-and long-term memories, each formed using positive and negative associations) are encoded within the compact neural network of C. elegans worms.Interestingly, short-term, but not long-term, memories are evident in the sensory system.Long-term memories are relegated to inner layers of the network, allowing the sensory system to resume innate functionality. Furthermore, a small set of sensory neurons is allocated for coding short-term memories, a design that can increase memory capacity and limit non-innate behavioral responses. Notably, individual sensory neurons may code for the conditioned stimulus or the experience valence. Interneurons integrate these information to modulate animal behavior upon memory reactivation. This comprehensive study reveals basic principles by which memories are encoded within a neural network, and highlights the central roles of sensory neurons in memory formation.

show abstract

Section: (B)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Principles for coding associative memories in a compact neural network

Pritz

Itskovits

Bokman

et al. 2020

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…These findings and others establish a foundation to use C. elegans to investigate underlying neuronal mechanisms of decision making 23,44,53,54,55 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

Bounded rationality in C. elegans is explained by circuit-specific normalization in chemosensory pathways

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Rational choice theory assumes optimality in decision-making. Violations of a basic axiom of economic rationality known as “Independence of Irrelevant Alternatives” (IIA) have been demonstrated in both humans and animals and could stem from common neuronal constraints. Here we develop tests for IIA in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans , an animal with only 302 neurons, using olfactory chemotaxis assays. We find that in most cases C. elegans make rational decisions. However, by probing multiple neuronal architectures using various choice sets, we show that violations of rationality arise when the circuit of olfactory sensory neurons is asymmetric. We further show that genetic manipulations of the asymmetry between the AWC neurons can make the worm irrational. Last, a context-dependent normalization-based model of value coding and gain control explains how particular neuronal constraints on information coding give rise to irrationality. Thus, we demonstrate that bounded rationality could arise due to basic neuronal constraints.

show abstract

“…The scientific literature on transitive choice in animals is extensive, encompassing a wide range of vertebrates: primates (Addessi et al ., 2008), birds (Mazur and Coe, 1987; Sumpter, Temple and Foster, 1999; Schuck-Paim and Kacelnik, 2002), and fish (Dechaume-Moncharmont et al ., 2013). Many invertebrates also exhibit transitivity: bees (Shafir, 1994), fruit flies (Arbuthnott et al ., 2017), nematodes (Cohen et al ., 2019; Iwanir et al ., 2019), and even slime molds (Latty and Beekman, 2011). However, these studies have focused almost entirely on binary transitivity, meaning either-or decisions between pairs of unitary items.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The nematode wormC. eleganschooses between bacterial foods as if maximizing economic utility

Katzen

Chung

Harbaugh

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In value-based decision making, options are selected according to subjective values assigned by the individual to available goods and actions. Despite the importance of this faculty of the mind, the neural mechanisms of value assignments, and how choices are directed by them, remain obscure. To investigate this problem, we used a classic measure of utility maximization, the Generalized Axiom of Revealed Preference, to quantify internal consistency of food preferences in Caenorhabditis elegans, a nematode worm with a nervous system of only 302 neurons. Using a novel combination of microfluidics and electrophysiology, we found that C. elegans food choices fulfill the necessary and sufficient conditions for utility maximization, indicating that nematodes behave exactly as if they maintain, and attempt to maximize, an underlying representation of subjective value. Food choices are well-fit by a utility function widely used to model human consumers. Moreover, as in many other animals, subjective values in C. elegans are learned, a process we now find requires intact dopamine signaling. Differential responses of identified chemosensory neurons to foods with distinct growth potential are amplified by prior consumption of these foods, suggesting that these neurons may be part of a value-assignment system. The demonstration of utility maximization in an organism with a nervous system of only 302 neurons sets a new lower bound on the computational requirements for its execution, and offers the prospect of an essentially complete explanation of value-based decision making at single neuron resolution.

show abstract

Irrational behavior in C. elegans arises from asymmetric modulatory effects within single sensory neurons

Cited by 20 publications

References 70 publications

Principles for coding associative memories in a compact neural network

Principles for coding associative memories in a compact neural network

Bounded rationality in C. elegans is explained by circuit-specific normalization in chemosensory pathways

The nematode wormC. eleganschooses between bacterial foods as if maximizing economic utility

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About