Worm Breeder's Gazette 8(2): 27

These abstracts should not be cited in bibliographies. Material contained herein should be treated as personal communication and should be cited as such only with the consent of the author.

Connectivity Diagrams of the C. elegans Nervous System

J.G. White and E. Southgate

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We have attempted to summarize the connectivity of the 
hermaphrodite's nervous system in a set of diagrams.  Most (but not 
all) of the neurone classes have been represented and some are present 
in more than one diagram.  The diagrams show the connections between 
classes of neurone rather than individual neurones; thus any intra-
class differences in connectivity are not represented.  Connections 
mediated by chemical synapses vary considerably in the number of 
synapses making the connection and in the sizes of the individual 
synapses.  We have therefore tried to give some indication of the 
'strengths' of these connections in the diagrams.
We have tried to make rough functional groupings of neurone classes 
whilst also minimizing the number of connections between diagrams.  
The groupings are as 
follows:
a) Circuitry associated with the amphid receptors.
b) Circuitry associated with the anterior mechanoreceptors.
c) The motoneurones and interneurones in the nerve ring.
d) The motoneurones and interneurones in the ventral cord.
e) The motoneurones innervating the vulval muscles plus loosely 
related circuitry.
f) The circuitry associated with neurones in the tail.
Receptor neurones - triangle; interneurones - hexagons; motoneurones 
- circles.
--> chemical synapses; cross bars indicate morphological prominence 
of synaptic contact on a scale of 1 to 4.
--| gap junction.
[see Figures 1-6]

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