Regensburg 2022 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 2: Computational Biophysics and Neuroscience

BP 2.8: Talk

Monday, September 5, 2022, 11:45–12:00, H13

Decision-making and dynamics in a small neural network — •Monika Scholz — Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior - caesar

The nematode C. elegans feeds on small microbes which it ingests using a pumping action of the pharynx. Its pharyngeal nervous system, which controls feeding, comprises only 20 neurons. We aim to understand how the animal adapts its feeding rate to environmental conditions and metabolic needs, using a combination of theoretical modelling, voltage imaging and behavioral observations. When imaging the animals feeding behavior we identify two modes of regulating food intake: First, we find burst-pause dynamics which we link to a decision-making process where the animal attempts to measure the external food concentration. We also find a second mode of action, in which the pumping frequency is smoothly adapted to reflect the quality of the available food. Using a conductance model of the pharyngeal muscle and its key regulatory circuit, we ask which of these modes of regulation are in the muscular excitability and which are driven by phasic inputs by the nervous system. We will discuss the utility of this small nervous system in understanding computational principles connecting neural activity to behavior.