OpenWorm: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 13:55, 18 September 2024

Revision as of 16:29, 29 October 2024

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[[File:Adult Caenorhabditis elegans.jpg|thumb|right|An adult ''Caenorhabditis elegans'' worm]]

''C. elegans'' has one of the simplest nervous systems of any organism - its [[hermaphrodite]] type possesses only 302 neurons. Furthermore, the structural [[connectome]] of these neurons is fully worked outmapped. There are fewer than one thousand cells in the whole body of a ''C. elegans'' worm, and because ''C. elegans'' is a [[model organism]], each has a unique identifier and comprehensive supporting literature. Being a model organism, the genome is fully known, along with many well characterized mutants readily available, and a comprehensive literature of behavioural studies. With so few neurons and new [[3D optical data storage|2-photon]] calcium [[microscopy]] techniques, it should soon be possible to record the complete neural activity of a living organism. The manipulation of neurons via [[Optogenetics|optogenetic]] methods, in tandem with the foregoing technical capacities, has provided the project an unprecedented position - now able to fully characterize the neural dynamics of an entire organism.

The efforts to build an ''[[in silico]]'' model of ''C. elegans'', although a relatively simple organism, have burgeoned the development of technologies that will make it easier to model progressively more complex organisms.