ePoster

Fibration symmetries reveal neuronal synchronizations in the C. elegans connectome

Pedro Augusto, Bryant Avila, Manuel Zimmer, Hernan Makse
FENS Forum 2024(2024)
Messe Wien Exhibition & Congress Center, Vienna, Austria

Conference

FENS Forum 2024

Messe Wien Exhibition & Congress Center, Vienna, Austria

Resources

Authors & Affiliations

Pedro Augusto, Bryant Avila, Manuel Zimmer, Hernan Makse

Abstract

How neuronal wiring architecture supports coordinated brain dynamics is an unsolved problem in neuroscience.The worm Caenorhabditis elegans (C.elegans) is a tractable model organism with a fully mapped connectome. C.elegans displays stereotyped behaviour, with specific gaits of locomotion (like forward/backward movement) matching distinct neuronal brain activity dynamics, which are comprised of synchronous network activity patterns (Kato 2015, Uzel 2022). Here, we aim to understand how the C.elegans connectome supports such dynamics.Our studies (Avila 2023) have suggested that these network synchronicities depend on localized fibration symmetries present in the C. elegans connectome. Such features can be described as neurons that when swapped preserve the connectivity matrix. To test this, we compare the symmetries of the connectome with nervous system activity recordings. Specifically, we experimentally record single cell activity in the full nervous system of C.elegans, with particular focus on motor neurons.Using a novel analysis method, we show that fibration symmetries are able to predict which groups of neurons synchronize more their activity. Moreover, pairs of neurons with higher pairwise correlations correspond to symmetric input similarities when compared to remaining non-symmetric neuronal pairs, suggesting that symmetries indeed contribute significantly to neuronal synchronizations. Instructed by neuronal activity data, we constructed an idealized symmetric connectome and propose that this configuration could serve as a working model to understanbd how synchronies in network activity are established. Finally, to further scrutinize our hypotheses, we are applying laser ablation and neuronal inhibition experiments that specifically disrupt the theorized symmetry groups, therefore expecting to disrupt synchronicity.

Unique ID: fens-24/fibration-symmetries-reveal-neuronal-a2c6c85a