An integrated neuro-mechanical model of C. elegans forward locomotion

Conference paper (2008)

Authors

J.H. Boyle University of Leeds
John Bryden University of Leeds
Netta Cohen University of Leeds
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Published Date

2008

Language

English

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Abstract

One of the most tractable organisms for the study of nervous systems is the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, whose locomotion in particular has been the subject of a number of models. In this paper we present a first integrated neuro-mechanical model of forward locomotion. We find that a previous neural model is robust to the addition of a body with mechanical properties, and that the integrated model produces oscillations with a more realistic frequency and waveform than the neural model alone. We conclude that the body and environment are likely to be important components of the worm's locomotion subsystem. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.