A Caenorhabditis Elegans Locomotion Detection and Tracking System with Optoelectronic Stimulations in Microfluidic Chips

The study of C. elegans responses to external stimuli is crucial for understanding their locomotion patterns. Common stimuli include optogenetic stimulation, electrical stimulation, and chemical stimulation. Investigating the locomotion responses of C. elegans to these stimuli helps scientists understand how the nervous system integrates external signals to produce appropriate motor responses. However, existing detection systems for C. elegans locomotion typically rely on expensive microscopy equipment. This paper introduces a low-cost, highly scalable, custom-built system for C. elegans locomotion tracking and optoelectric stimulation. The system comprises hardware components, a software platform for controlling each hardware module, and an automated image analysis algorithm. It is capable of real-time tracking of C. elegans movements within a microfluidic chip and applies optogenetic and electric field stimuli to study the nematodes' locomotory responses to different stimulation patterns.