A Body dynamics simulation platform for

線虫の身体動力学シミュレータプラットフォーム

曽 智*; 辻 敏夫*; 鈴木 芳代; 服部 佑哉; 滝口 昇*; 大竹 久夫*

Soh, Zu*; Tsuji, Toshio*; Suzuki, Michiyo; Hattori, Yuya; Takiguchi, Noboru*; Otake, Hisao*

is considered the model system to investigate information processing mechanisms in neural circuits, and some mathematical models have been proposed. However, effects of body dynamics on information acquisition processes were neglected in the previous studies. In this study, we proposed a simulation platform comprising of environmental, neural, and body dynamics models. In our simulation platform, the body is approximated using a multi-joint rigid link model which can produce dynamic body motion commanded by the neural model. As an application example, we analyzed mechanisms of chemotaxis to NaCl. The previous studies revealed that the animal employs pirouette mechanism and weathervane mechanism for the chemotaxis. The two mechanisms respectively require temporal and spatial gradient of NaCl. To discuss the acquisition mechanism of the chemical gradient, we defined environmental model to calculate diffusion of NaCl solution on the agar plate, and approximated input-output characteristics of ASE neurons based on results of calcium imaging. Response of ASE neurons can be calculated by providing head coordinate of the body dynamics model. We also assumed a neural model to convert the responses of ASE neurons to temporal and spatial gradient of NaCl and then to command the body model. We will discuss the results of chemotaxis simulation by comparing to data of actual animals.