Zhang Yanshu, Shima Masami, Aoki Yuki, Takeishi Asuka
Neural Circuit of Multisensory Integration RIKEN Hakubi Research Team, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako 351-0198, Japan.
J Biosci. 2025;50.
Animals exhibit behavioural responses to environmental stimuli. To date, various experimental assays have been conducted to investigate the molecular and neural mechanisms underlying behavioural responses in . However, behavioural outcomes can vary even under the same stimulus due to factors such as past experience, individual circumstances, and modifications in behavioural assay procedures, which complicate the interpretation of results. In this study, we focussed on the composition of the behavioural assay media and compared the behaviours of in response to temperature and odour stimuli using three commonly used media: nematode growth medium (NGM), thermotaxis (TTX), and chemotaxis (Chemo) assay media. Our results demonstrated that in thermotaxis, exhibited stable behavioural decisions across all examined media. However, the population of worms reaching the preferable areas was smaller in Chemo and TTX media compared with NGM due to prolonged exploration period and reduced migration speed. By contrast, in chemotaxis, we did not observe significant differences across the tested media. This study provides insights into the significant effects on behaviour caused by the modifications of the behavioural assay media and emphasises the importance of further studies to explore the detailed neural mechanisms that regulate animal behaviour under diverse environmental factors.
动物对环境刺激表现出行为反应。迄今为止，已经进行了各种实验分析来研究行为反应背后的分子和神经机制。然而，由于过去的经验、个体情况以及行为分析程序的改变等因素，即使在相同的刺激下，行为结果也可能有所不同，这使得结果的解释变得复杂。在本研究中，我们关注行为分析培养基的组成，并使用三种常用培养基：线虫生长培养基（NGM）、趋温性（TTX）和趋化性（Chemo）分析培养基，比较了线虫对温度和气味刺激的行为反应。我们的结果表明，在趋温性实验中，线虫在所有检测的培养基中都表现出稳定的行为决策。然而，由于探索时间延长和迁移速度降低，与NGM相比，在Chemo和TTX培养基中到达偏好区域的线虫数量较少。相比之下，在趋化性实验中，我们在测试的培养基之间未观察到显著差异。本研究揭示了行为分析培养基的改变对线虫行为的显著影响，并强调了进一步研究以探索在不同环境因素下调节动物行为的详细神经机制的重要性。
