Investigating the effect of rewiring the salt sensing circuit on the associative learning ability of C. elegans

Synapses are junctions between neurons that allow signals to be relayed within a neuronal circuit. In Caenorhabditis elegans, a model organism commonly used in neurobiology, synapses are actively created when the animal is experiencing associative learning. We hypothesize that these changes in synapse directly contribute to learning behavior. We are therefore creating transgenic animals that have artificially synapses between selected neurons. We then subject them to a simple associative learning assay to see if their behavior deviates from that of normal animals. With this approach, we can determine if strengthening specific connections in a sensing circuit contributes to learning behavior.