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Cited by 116Neurobiology and Insect Physiology ResearchNeural dynamics and brain functionNeuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research

A multi-scale brain map derived from whole-brain volumetric reconstructions

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Brittin, Christopher A., Cook, Steven J., Hall, David H., Emmons, Scott W., Cohen, Netta·2021·Nature
DOI 10.1038/s41586-021-03284-xPMC PMC11648602
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Abstract

Animal nervous system organization is crucial for all body functions and its disruption can lead to severe cognitive and behavioural impairment 1. This organization relies on features across scales-from the localization of synapses at the nanoscale, through neurons, which possess intricate neuronal morphologies that underpin circuit organization, to stereotyped connections between different regions of the brain 2. The sheer complexity of this organ means that the feat of reconstructing and modelling the structure of a complete nervous system that is integrated across all of these scales has yet to be achieved. Here we present a complete structure-function model of the main neuropil in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans-the nerve ring-which we derive by integrating the volumetric reconstructions from two animals with corresponding 3 synaptic and gap-junctional connectomes. Whereas previously the nerve ring was considered to be a densely packed tract of neural processes, we uncover internal organization and show how local neighbourhoods spatially constrain and support the synaptic connectome. We find that the C. elegans connectome is not invariant, but that a precisely wired core circuit is embedded in a background of variable connectivity, and identify a candidate reference connectome for the core circuit. Using this reference, we propose a modular network architecture of the C. elegans brain that supports sensory computation and integration, sensorimotor convergence and brain-wide coordination. These findings reveal scalable and robust features of brain organization that may be universal across phyla.

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  • Of the 302 CNS neurons, 180 make synapses in the brain.

    “Of the 302 CNS neurons, 180 make synapses in the brain126.”

    From Neuronal wiring diagram of an adult brain (2024) · cites this paper as [126]

    The section “Conserved and variable circuits overlap” describes neurons making synaptic contacts in the nerve ring, but gives no count of 180 neurons. Searches of our copy for “180,” “302,” and the claimed ratio found no passage establishing that 180 of 302 CNS neurons make synapses in the brain; page numbers were not available. (LLM, conf=0.72)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Brittin, C. A., Cook, S. J., Hall, D. H., Emmons, S. W., & Cohen, N.
Affiliations
  • Albert Einstein College of Medicine (US)
  • University of Leeds (GB)
Corresponding author
Cohen, Netta
ORCID
Venue
Nature
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2021-02-24
Volume
591
Issue
7848
Pages
105-110
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
DOI
10.1038/s41586-021-03284-x
PMC
PMC11648602
OpenAlex
W3131776733
Cited by
116
References
9
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 45 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 12
FWCI
10.72
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • White Rose Research Online (University of Leeds, The University of Sheffield, University of York) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (R24OD010943)
  • Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/J004057/1)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH112689, F32MH115438)
  • National Center for Research Resources (R24RR012596)
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (P30HD071593)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
Keywords
Caenorhabditis elegans, nerve ring, connectome, volumetric reconstruction, synaptic connectivity, gap junctions, structural-functional model, modular network architecture, nervous system evolution
MeSH terms
Animals, Brain, Models, Biological, Neural Pathways, Synapses, Neurites, Caenorhabditis elegans, Gap Junctions, Neuropil, Connectome

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