Search for computational modules in the <it>C. elegans </it>brain

• Main Authors: Alon Uri, Reigl Markus, Chklovskii Dmitri B
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2004-12-01
• Series: BMC Biology
• Online Access: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/2/25

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Does the <it>C. elegans </it>nervous system contain multi-neuron computational modules that perform stereotypical functions? We attempt to answer this question by searching for recurring multi-neuron inter-connectivity patterns in the <it>C. elegans </it>nervous system's wiring diagram.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our statistical analysis reveals that some inter-connectivity patterns containing two, three and four (but not five) neurons are significantly over-represented relative to the expectations based on the statistics of smaller inter-connectivity patterns.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Over-represented patterns (or motifs) are candidates for computational modules that may perform stereotypical functions in the <it>C. elegans </it>nervous system. These modules may appear in other species and need to be investigated further.</p>