Shunji Nakano

A hyperpolarizing neuron recruits undocked innexin hemichannels to transmit neural information in Caenorhabditis elegans

The paper shows hyperpolarizing neurons in C. elegans use undocked innexin hemichannels to transmit temperature information independently of synaptic vesicle exocytosis.

Diets affect the age-dependent decline of associative learning in Caenorhabditis elegans

This study shows that a specific diet, Lactobacillus reuteri, can preserve associative learning in aged C. elegans through DAF-16 pathway activation without affecting lifespan.

Genetic screens identified dual roles of MAST kinase and CREB within a single thermosensory neuron in the regulation of C. elegans thermotaxis behavior

cGMP dynamics underlie thermosensation in C. elegans

The paper investigates how cGMP dynamics in C. elegens AFD neurons encode and memorize temperature information, showing that cGMP levels fluctuate based on past cultivation temperature and influence thermotaxis behavior.

Presynaptic MAST Kinase Controls Bidirectional Post-SynapticResponses to Convey Stimulus Valence in C. elegans

The paper shows that presynaptic MAST kinase in C. elegans controls bidirectional postsynaptic responses to encode thermal stimulus valence through opposing signals.

SLO potassium channels antagonize premature decision making in C. elegans

This study identifies SLO potassium channels and CNG-3 as regulators of temperature preference transition timing in C. elegans thermotaxis behavior.

Circuit Degeneracy Facilitates Robustness and Flexibility of Navigation Behavior in C. elegans

The paper shows that overlapping neural circuits in C. elegans enable robust and flexible thermotaxis behavior through compensatory mechanisms and context-dependent regulation.

Identification of Animal Behavioral Strategies by Inverse Reinforcement Learning

This paper develops an inverse reinforcement learning framework to identify animal behavioral strategies from time-series data, applied to C. elegans thermotaxis, revealing distinct strategies for fed and starved worms.