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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 10, 2026

Examining the Effect of Pesticides on Caenorhabditis elegans Neurons

Examining the Effect of Pesticides on Caenorhabditis elegans Neurons

Published on: May 27, 2022

Sub-lethal imidacloprid exposure leads to presynaptic and postsynaptic alterations.

Katya Tjahaja¹, Emma Stoner¹, Akari Miura¹

¹Eckerd College.

Research Square

|November 24, 2025

Summary

Field-relevant pesticide imidacloprid exposure reduced neural structures in both honey bees and nematodes. This neonicotinoid pesticide impacts the nervous systems of crucial off-target organisms.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Environmental Science
Toxicology

Background:

Pesticides, particularly neonicotinoids like imidacloprid, are widely used in agriculture.
Imidacloprid is known to affect the nervous systems of various organisms, including beneficial insects and other invertebrates.
Sub-lethal doses of pesticides can have significant impacts on non-target species.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the neurotoxic effects of field-relevant, sub-lethal doses of imidacloprid on honey bees and nematodes.
To compare the impact of imidacloprid on cholinergic signaling in two distinct off-target organisms.

Main Methods:

Comparative neuroscience approach exposing honey bees and nematodes to imidacloprid.
Honey bee brains were analyzed for microglomeruli density using synapsin immunostaining.
Transgenic nematodes were used to assess changes in presynaptic and postsynaptic cholinergic structures.

Main Results:

Exposure to imidacloprid led to a decreased density of microglomeruli in the honey bee brain after one week.
In nematodes, imidacloprid exposure for 48 hours resulted in decreased expression in both presynaptic and postsynaptic cholinergic structures.
Both species showed alterations in neural structures following exposure to common field concentrations of imidacloprid.

Conclusions:

Field-relevant concentrations of imidacloprid alter the nervous systems of off-target organisms, including honey bees and nematodes.
The study highlights the neurotoxic potential of neonicotinoids on non-target species.
Comparative neuroscience provides valuable insights into the ecological risks of pesticide exposure.