Is a wiring diagram enough to understand the brain? In this episode, we dive into how researchers combined whole-brain optogenetic stimulation with calcium imaging in C. elegans to reveal functional neural connections that go beyond the traditional connectome.

Key insights include:

A new functional atlas built from ~23,000 neuron pair experiments How neuropeptides and extrasynaptic signals contribute to brain activity Strong functional links often exist without anatomical connections A data-driven rethinking of how neural signals propagate and integrate Implications for plasticity, brain evolution, and full-organism modelling

This episode sheds light on how small brains can perform complex processing — by rewiring our assumptions about wiring.

📖 Based on the research article: “Neural signal propagation atlas of Caenorhabditis elegans” Francesco Randi, Anuj K. Sharma, Sophie Dvali & Andrew M. Leifer Published in Nature (2023) 🔗 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06683-4

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This podcast is generated with artificial intelligence and curated by Veeren. If you’d like your publication featured on the show, please get in touch.

📩 More info: 🔗 ⁠⁠www.veerenchauhan.com⁠⁠ 📧 [email protected]