Research Projects (2/4):

Neural Communication

The worm’s connectome, its map of synaptic connectivity, was published ~35 years ago and has been instrumental for scientific discovery. Progress has been slow, however, to fill in missing properties of this communication network, e.g., neural activity and gene inventory.

We began filling in some of these missing pieces by: 1) mapping whole-brain neural activity in response to gustatory and olfactory stimuli (Yemini et al, Cell 2021); 2) completing the map of GABA and metabotropic neurotransmission (Yemini et al, Cell 2021); and 3) mapping the whole family of homeodomain transcription factors (Reilly MB et al, Nature 2021).

We are continuing these efforts, investigating changes in neural activity and gene inventory across all stages of development and also in response to stress (e.g., starvation).