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Forces applied during classical touch assays for Caenorhabditis elegans.

Adam L Nekimken1, Eileen A Mazzochette2, Miriam B Goodman1,3

  • 1Mechanical Engineering Department, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America.

Plos One
|May 26, 2017
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Summary

The classical touch assay for Caenorhabditis elegans uses eyebrow hairs, but applies forces much higher than needed to elicit a response. Adjusting hair length can reduce this excessive force.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Biophysics
  • Animal Behavior

Background:

  • The roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans is a model organism for studying touch sensation.
  • A classical assay involves gently touching the worm with an eyebrow hair to observe behavioral responses, specifically reversals.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify the forces and contact dynamics of the classical C. elegans touch assay.
  • To investigate the variability introduced by the eyebrow hair stimulus.

Main Methods:

  • High-speed video (2500 fps) to analyze stimulus delivery and contact.
  • Force measurements using a calibrated microcantilever with volunteers mimicking the assay.
  • Analysis of eyebrow hair stiffness and its correlation with hair length.

Main Results:

  • Stimulus delivery involves brief contact between the hair and the worm.
  • Applied forces (mean 61 μN, median 26 μN) significantly exceed the 2 μN threshold for C. elegans reversal.
  • Eyebrow hair stiffness varies (0.07–0.41 N/m) and correlates with free length.

Conclusions:

  • The classical touch assay applies saturating forces, potentially limiting nuanced behavioral studies.
  • Variability in force application exists due to hair properties and experimental technique.
  • Increasing the free length of the eyebrow hair can reduce the applied force.