A neuromechanical model for Drosophila larval crawling based on physical measurements

Abstract

Animal locomotion requires dynamic interactions between neural circuits, muscles, and surrounding environments. In contrast to intensive studies on neural circuits, the neuromechanical basis for animal behaviour remains unclear due to the lack of information on the physical properties of animals. Here, we proposed an integrated neuromechanical model based on physical measurements by taking Drosophila larvae as a model of soft- bodied animals. The biomechanical parameters of fly larvae were measured by the stress- relaxation test. By optimizing parameters in the neural circuit, our neuromechanical model succeeded in quantitatively reproducing the kinematics of larval locomotion that were obtained experimentally. This model could reproduce the observation of optogenetic studies reported previously. The model predicted that peristaltic locomotion could be exhibited in a low friction condition. Analysis of floating larvae provided results consistent with this prediction. Furthermore, the model predicted a significant contribution of intersegmental connections in the central nervous system, which contrasts with a previous study. This hypothesis allowed us to make a testable prediction for the variability in intersegmental connection in sister species of the genus Drosophila. Our model based on physical measurement provides a new foundation to study locomotion in soft-bodied animals and soft robot engineering.