Olfactory combinatorial coding supports risk-reward decision-making in Caenorhabditis elegans.
- 1Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, The University of Toledo, Toledo, United States.
- 2Department of Neurosciences and Psychiatry, The University of Toledo, Toledo, United States.
Abstract
Olfactory-driven behaviors are essential for animal survival, but mechanisms for decoding olfactory inputs remain poorly understood. We have used whole-network Ca²⁺ imaging to study olfactory coding in Caenorhabditis elegans. We show that the odorant 1-octanol is encoded combinatorially in the periphery as both an attractant and a repellent. These inputs are integrated centrally, and their relative strengths determine the sensitivity and valence of the behavioral response through modulation of locomotory reversals and speed. The balance of these pathways also dictates the activity of the locomotory command interneurons, which control locomotory reversals. This balance serves as a regulatory node for response modulation, allowing C. elegans to weigh opportunities and hazards in its environment when formulating behavioral responses. Thus, an odorant can be encoded simultaneously as inputs of opposite valence, focusing attention on the integration of these inputs in determining perception, response, and plasticity.
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BibTeX
@article{saad2026olfactory,
title = {{Olfactory combinatorial coding supports risk-reward decision-making in Caenorhabditis elegans.}},
author = {Md Zubayer Hossain Saad and William G Ryan and Chelyan A Edwards and Benjamin N Szymanski and Lana Awa and Jenna Kaake and Alexander Martin and Aryan R Marri and Lilian G Jerow and Robert McCullumsmith and Bruce A Bamber},
journal = {ELife},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.7554/elife.104828},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42911221},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Olfactory combinatorial coding supports risk-reward decision-making in Caenorhabditis elegans.
AU - Md Zubayer Hossain Saad
AU - William G Ryan
AU - Chelyan A Edwards
AU - Benjamin N Szymanski
AU - Lana Awa
AU - Jenna Kaake
AU - Alexander Martin
AU - Aryan R Marri
AU - Lilian G Jerow
AU - Robert McCullumsmith
AU - Bruce A Bamber
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/22
JO - ELife
DO - 10.7554/elife.104828
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42911221
AB - Olfactory-driven behaviors are essential for animal survival, but mechanisms for decoding olfactory inputs remain poorly understood. We have used whole-network Ca²⁺ imaging to study olfactory coding in Caenorhabditis elegans. We show that the odorant 1-octanol is encoded combinatorially in the periphery as both an attractant and a repellent. These inputs are integrated centrally, and their relative strengths determine the sensitivity and valence of the behavioral response through modulation of locomotory reversals and speed. The balance of these pathways also dictates the activity of the locomotory command interneurons, which control locomotory reversals. This balance serves as a regulatory node for response modulation, allowing C. elegans to weigh opportunities and hazards in its environment when formulating behavioral responses. Thus, an odorant can be encoded simultaneously as inputs of opposite valence, focusing attention on the integration of these inputs in determining perception, response, and plasticity.
SN - 2050-084X
ER -