Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
1
pubmed:dateCreated
1998-8-31
pubmed:abstractText
Serotonin has been implicated in the regulation of a wide range of brain functions involving alternative behavioral states, including the control of mood, aggression, sex, and sleep. Here, we report that in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, serotonin controls a switch between two distinct, on/off states of egg-laying behavior. Through quantitative analysis of the temporal pattern of egg-laying events, we determined that egg laying can be modeled as a novel random process, in which animals fluctuate between discrete behavioral states: an active state, during which eggs are laid in clusters, and an inactive state, during which eggs are retained. Single-cell ablation experiments indicate that two pairs of motor neurons, HSNL/HSNR and VC4/VC5, can induce the active phase by releasing serotonin. These neurons also release acetylcholine, which appears to trigger individual egg-laying events within the active phase. Genetic experiments suggest that determination of the behavioral states observed for C. elegans egg laying may be mediated through protein kinase C-dependent (PKC-dependent) modulation of voltage-gated calcium channels.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Jul
pubmed:issn
0896-6273
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
21
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
203-14
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1998
pubmed:articleTitle
Control of alternative behavioral states by serotonin in Caenorhabditis elegans.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093, USA.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S., Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't