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Title & Speakers	Event
Event WOrM Podcast: Whole Organism Analytics Podcast 2025-09-24
EPISODE 29: Hidden Circuits – Mapping How Worms Really Think 2025-09-24 Anuj K. Sharma – guest , Andrew M. Leifer – guest , Francesco Randi – guest , Veeren Chauhan – host , Sophie Dvali – guest 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 🎧 Subscribe to the WOrM Podcast for more full-organism insights into behaviour, neuroscience, and beyond. 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] AI/ML	Listen
EPISODE 23: Magnetic Minds – Worms Reveal Brain-Wide Signals in Real Time 2025-08-06 Uday A. Ramalingam – guest , Andrew M. Leifer – guest In this episode, we follow Caenorhabditis elegans into the magnetic field. Researchers have developed an elegant way to measure whole-brain neural activity in freely moving worms using a calcium-sensitive MRI contrast agent — a major step toward non-invasive brain mapping at the organism scale. We explore: How a genetically targeted MRI probe was used to detect calcium flux across the entire worm brain The fusion of genetics, MRI physics, and behavioural tracking Real-time measurements of brain dynamics during natural behaviour How this technique opens the door to non-invasive neuroimaging in small model organisms Implications for understanding how global brain states coordinate behaviour 📖 Based on the research article: “Functional MRI of brain-wide activity in freely moving C. elegans” Uday A. Ramalingam, Andrew M. Leifer, et al. Published in Nature (2024) 🔗 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08331-x 🎧 Subscribe to the WOrM Podcast for more full-organism innovations in imaging, neuroscience, and behaviour! 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] AI/ML	Listen
EPISODE 21: Beyond the Wires – Worm Brains Reveal Hidden Neural Connections 2025-07-09 Anuj K. Sharma – guest , Andrew M. Leifer – guest , Francesco Randi – guest , Veeren Chauhan – host , Sophie Dvali – guest In this episode, we go beyond the famous C. elegans connectome to explore how signal propagation doesn’t always follow the wires. Using powerful whole-brain calcium imaging combined with single-cell optogenetic activation, researchers mapped over 23,000 neuron pairings to build a functional atlas that rewrites parts of the worm’s wiring diagram. We dive into: How extrasynaptic neuropeptide signalling connects neurons outside synapses The discovery of functional connections invisible in the wiring diagram How C. elegans neural signals propagate both directly and indirectly The creation of a functional connectome that predicts spontaneous activity better than anatomy alone The surprising flexibility and plasticity of even simple nervous systems 📖 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 🎧 Subscribe to the WOrM Podcast for more full-organism neuroscience that goes deeper than the wires! 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] AI/ML	Listen

EPISODE 29: Hidden Circuits – Mapping How Worms Really Think 2025-09-24

Anuj K. Sharma – guest , Andrew M. Leifer – guest , Francesco Randi – guest , Veeren Chauhan – host , Sophie Dvali – guest

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

🎧 Subscribe to the WOrM Podcast for more full-organism insights into behaviour, neuroscience, and beyond.

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]

AI/ML

EPISODE 23: Magnetic Minds – Worms Reveal Brain-Wide Signals in Real Time 2025-08-06

Uday A. Ramalingam – guest , Andrew M. Leifer – guest

In this episode, we follow Caenorhabditis elegans into the magnetic field. Researchers have developed an elegant way to measure whole-brain neural activity in freely moving worms using a calcium-sensitive MRI contrast agent — a major step toward non-invasive brain mapping at the organism scale.

We explore:

How a genetically targeted MRI probe was used to detect calcium flux across the entire worm brain The fusion of genetics, MRI physics, and behavioural tracking Real-time measurements of brain dynamics during natural behaviour How this technique opens the door to non-invasive neuroimaging in small model organisms Implications for understanding how global brain states coordinate behaviour

📖 Based on the research article: “Functional MRI of brain-wide activity in freely moving C. elegans” Uday A. Ramalingam, Andrew M. Leifer, et al. Published in Nature (2024) 🔗 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08331-x

🎧 Subscribe to the WOrM Podcast for more full-organism innovations in imaging, neuroscience, and behaviour!

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]

AI/ML

EPISODE 21: Beyond the Wires – Worm Brains Reveal Hidden Neural Connections 2025-07-09

Anuj K. Sharma – guest , Andrew M. Leifer – guest , Francesco Randi – guest , Veeren Chauhan – host , Sophie Dvali – guest

In this episode, we go beyond the famous C. elegans connectome to explore how signal propagation doesn’t always follow the wires. Using powerful whole-brain calcium imaging combined with single-cell optogenetic activation, researchers mapped over 23,000 neuron pairings to build a functional atlas that rewrites parts of the worm’s wiring diagram.

We dive into:

How extrasynaptic neuropeptide signalling connects neurons outside synapses The discovery of functional connections invisible in the wiring diagram How C. elegans neural signals propagate both directly and indirectly The creation of a functional connectome that predicts spontaneous activity better than anatomy alone The surprising flexibility and plasticity of even simple nervous systems

📖 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

🎧 Subscribe to the WOrM Podcast for more full-organism neuroscience that goes deeper than the wires!

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]

AI/ML

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