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Neural sequences underlying directed turning in Caenorhabditis elegans

Kramer, Talya1; Wan, Flossie1; Pugliese, Sarah1; Atanas, Adam1; Pradhan, Sreeparna1; Hiser, Alex1; Godinez, Lillie1; Luo, Jinyue1; Bueno, Eric1; Felt, Thomas1; Flavell, Steven1

Published Mar 26, 2026 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.8sf7m0cz2

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Abstract

Complex behaviors like navigation rely on sequenced motor outputs that combine to generate effective movement. The brain-wide organization of the circuits that integrate sensory signals to select and execute appropriate motor outputs is not well understood. Here, we characterize the architecture of neural circuits that control C. elegans olfactory navigation. We identify error-correcting turns during navigation and use whole-brain calcium imaging and cell-specific perturbations to determine their neural underpinnings. These turns occur as motor sequences accompanied by neural sequences, in which neurons activate in a stereotyped order during each turn. Distinct cells in this sequence respond to sensory cues, anticipate upcoming turn directions, and drive movement, linking key features of this sensorimotor behavior across time. The neuromodulator tyramine coordinates these sequential brain dynamics. Our results illustrate how neuromodulation can act on a defined neural architecture to generate sequential patterns of activity that link sensory cues to motor actions.