Whole animal modeling: piecing together nematode locomotion

Abstract

With a reconstructed and extensively characterized neural circuit, Caenorhabditis elegans is a fascinating model system for the study of neural circuits and behavior. Here, we review the recent progress in the study of locomotion in this animal from a systems perspective. We discuss how complementary approaches, from network science, through dynamical systems to biomechanics are transforming the current understanding of this system into a unified whole animal description. This transformation has been achieved through the integration of mechanistic studies and decompositional approaches: on the one hand, mapping the components of the system and their functions and on the other hand, providing qualitative and quantitative methods to probe the physical basis of locomotion, motor behavior, neural dynamics, and structure–function relation in neural circuits.