Optogenetic analyses of neuronal network function and synaptic transmission in Caenorhabditis elegans

Abstract The transparent nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, with its anatomically well-defined nervous system comprising 302 neurons that regulate quantifiable behaviors, is an ideal model system for the development and ap­plication of optogenetic methods. Optoge­netically modified neurons can be acutely ex­cited or inhibited by light and the effects on a distinct behavior observed. Special light­ing systems allow the manipulation of several nerve cells that act as “nodes” of small neural circuits, with different colors of light, so as to control different optogenetic tools indepen­dently and simultaneously. In addition, ge­netically encoded optical sensors for neuro­nal activity make it possible to draw conclu­sions even when the optogenetic interven­tion causes no obvious behavioral change. The stimulation of quantifiable behaviors permits the analysis of the function of genes necessary in the corresponding neuron for the encoding or amplification of the primary signal. Finally, following optogenetic stimu­lation, the function of chemical synapses and their proteins can also be analyzed by elec­trophysiology or electron microscopy.