Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 2006 · 668 citations · 39 references
Life SciencesNeurobiologyNeuroscienceComputational NeuroscienceNeural CircuitrySystems NeuroscienceAxon GuidanceNeural Circuit ModelingNeural Circuit OrganizationNeural CircuitsNeuronal Cell StructureSynaptic ConnectivityAxonal GuidanceConstraintsFunctional ConstraintsNeural Circuit ArchitectureNeural Circuit WiringNeuronal Circuit WiringNeuronal ConnectivityNeuronal Positioning
The study hypothesizes that neuronal placement minimizes wiring costs under functional constraints, and that axonal guidance and command neuron functions explain deviations from optimality. The authors use a reconstructed *Caenorhabditis elegans* wiring diagram to compute an optimal neuronal layout and introduce a modified cost function that incorporates axonal guidance and command neuron effects. The optimal layout places most neurons near their real positions, indicating wiring minimization matters, though several neurons deviate markedly from optimality.
We pursue the hypothesis that neuronal placement in animals minimizes wiring costs for given functional constraints, as specified by synaptic connectivity. Using a newly compiled version of the Caenorhabditis elegans wiring diagram, we solve for the optimal layout of 279 nonpharyngeal neurons. In the optimal layout, most neurons are located close to their actual positions, suggesting that wiring minimization is an important factor. Yet some neurons exhibit strong deviations from “optimal” position. We propose that biological factors relating to axonal guidance and command neuron functions contribute to these deviations. We capture these factors by proposing a modified wiring cost function.
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The embryonic cell lineage of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans
John Sulston, Einhard Schierenberg, John G. White et al. · Developmental Biology · 1983 · 4.3K citations