Scott Emmons, Ph.D., has followed up on the 2019 study, published by his laboratory in Nature, that described the “connectome” or nervous system of the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans— the first complete wiring diagram for any animal. 

In the new study, published online on December 17 in PLOS Biology, Dr. Emmons examined the functions of every C. elegans neuron, finding several significant and previously unrecognized circuits and pathways. He found that the C. elegans connectome can be organized into 10 distinct groups of neurons that are linked to specific behaviors. He also found that the neurons responsible for connecting other neurons in the same areas of the nervous system play a dual role in gathering and distributing information in a complex network of connections. The discoveries provide a level of nervous system understanding more complete than in any other animal and should help spur additional research into the roundworm’s neurons and circuitry. 

Dr. Emmons is distinguished professor emeritus of genetics and in the Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience at Einstein.