Consolidation of behavioral synchronization with the developmental clock is impaired by the degeneration of a mechanosensory circuit in C. elegans

Abstract

Animals generate predictable patterns of behavior that are robustly synchronized with the developmental clock. However, the dynamics of the long-term establishment of synchronized behaviors across the entire developmental trajectory, and the neuronal circuits that control this developmental synchronization, remain underexplored. Here, we show that in C. elegans individuals, developmental synchronization of behavior continuously consolidates throughout development time, and that this consolidation is controlled by multiple neuronal pathways. In particular, we found that the degeneration of a specific mechanosensory circuit early in development strongly impairs the developmental synchronization of behavior. Furthermore, early neuronal activity patterns in downstream motor neurons are altered following the mechanosensory circuit degeneration. Interestingly, we show that either pharmacological or genetic neuroprotection of the mechanosensory circuit from degeneration restores normal modes of developmentally synchronized behaviors. These results imply the control of time-locked behaviors across the developmental trajectory by a localized sensory circuit within the nervous system.