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Updated: Feb 3, 2026

In Vivo Wireless Optogenetic Control of Skilled Motor Behavior
Published on: November 22, 2021
High-Throughput Analysis of Behavior Under the Control of Optogenetics in Caenorhabditis elegans
Alex J Yu1, Troy A McDiarmid1, Evan L Ardiel2
1Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Abstract:
In this unit, we describe an inexpensive and versatile method for optogenetic stimulation of a large population of genetically engineered Caenorhabditis elegans worms while quantitatively analyzing behavior. A custom light-emitting diode light source is used to deliver blue-light stimuli, causing direct depolarization of neurons expressing the light-gated cation channel Channelrhodopsin-2, which in turn evokes behavioral responses. The behavioral responses are recorded by a high-throughput machine vision-based tracking system, the Multi-Worm Tracker, for detailed analysis. This approach allows researchers to bypass technical obstacles to simultaneously deliver uniform stimuli to a large number of freely behaving animals and investigate the neural underpinnings of behavior. © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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