# Temporal Analysis of Stochastic Turning Behavior of Swimming C. elegans

 Title: Temporal Analysis of Stochastic Turning Behavior of Swimming C. elegans Author: Srivastava, Nikhil; Clark, Damon A.; Samuel, Aravinthan DT Note: Order does not necessarily reflect citation order of authors. Citation: Srivastava, Nikhil, Damon A. Clark, and Aravinthan D.T. Samuel. 2009. Temporal analysis of stochastic turning behavior of swimming C. elegans. Journal of Neurophysiology 102(2): 1172–1179. Access Status: Full text of the requested work is not available in DASH at this time (“dark deposit”). For more information on dark deposits, see our FAQ. Full Text & Related Files: JNEURO Temporal Analysis.pdf (341.3Kb; PDF) Abstract: Caenorhabditis elegans exhibits spontaneous motility in isotropic environments, characterized by periods of forward movements punctuated at random by turning movements. Here, we study the statistics of turning movements—deep $$\Omega$$-shaped bends—exhibited by swimming worms. We show that the durations of intervals between successive $$\Omega$$-turns are uncorrelated with one another and are effectively selected from a probability distribution resembling the sum of two exponentials. The worm initially exhibits frequent $$\Omega$$-turns on being placed in liquid, and the mean rate of $$\Omega$$-turns lessens over time. The statistics of $$\Omega$$-turns is consistent with a phenomenological model involving two behavioral states governed by Poisson kinetics: a “slow” state generates $$\Omega$$-turns with a low probability per unit time; a “fast” state generates $$\Omega$$-turns with a high probability per unit time; and the worm randomly transitions between these slow and fast states. Our findings suggest that the statistics of spontaneous $$\Omega$$-turns exhibited by swimming worms may be described using a small number of parameters, consistent with a two-state phenomenological model for the mechanisms that spontaneously generate $$\Omega$$-turns. Published Version: doi:10.1152/jn.90952.2008 Other Sources: http://worms.physics.harvard.edu/pubs/srivastata-jneurophys-2009.pdf Citable link to this page: http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:10403684 Downloads of this work: