Pulse DC Electrotaxis of C. elegans in a Microdevice and its Application in Stimulus-evoked Neuronal Analysis

摘要

C. elegans is a roundworm that has been established as a model organism for neurobiological applications due to its simple neuronal system (302 neurons). These neurons respond to diverse stimuli such as electric signals and result in animals' behavioral responses through neural signaling pathways towards motor outputs. We have used a microfluidic device to establish accurately-controllable micro-environments to study the behavioral responses of C. elegans to pulse DC electric signals. Effect of frequency and duty cycle of the signal has been studied at the behavioral level.