C. elegans Neurons Biophysical Modeling
We are working at developing biophysical models of the Caenorhabditis elegans neurons, to investigate the mechanisms at the basis of signal generation integration and transmission in the nervous system.
The nervous system of this small nematode was the first to be fully mapped in terms of neurons number (only 302) and synaptic connections. Thanks to its simplicity at anatomical, cellular, and genetic level it constitutes a useful framework to study complex neuronal functions such those related to sensory perception and motor control.
We model the ionic currents involved in the nematode neuronal dynamics with a Hodgkin-Huxley type description, and we combine them to reproduce the behavior of different classes of sensory, motor, and interneurons.
Ionic currents modeled and included in AWC and RMD neurons.
Codes: XPP, NEURON, PYTHON
Collaborators: IIT – CLNS@Sapienza, Roma
Related publications:
M. Nicoletti, A. Loppini, L. Chiodo, Folli V., Ruocco G., and S. Filippi. Biophysical modeling of C. elegans neurons: Single ion currents and whole-cell dynamics of AWCON and RMD. (2019). PLoS ONE. 14(7): e0218738.
