← Research · Cell Systems (University of Washington, Fred Hutch)
Circumventing neural damage in a C. elegans chemosensory circuit using genetically engineered synapses
Investigating neural circuit plasticity, this study demonstrates how genetically engineered electrical synapses can reroute information flow to circumvent damaged neurons. By expressing connexin gap junctions, we successfully restored chemotaxis behavior in C. elegans after critical interneuron loss, highlighting the potential of artificial synapses in neural repair.
Notes
A damaged circuit, and a rewire: engineered electrical synapses dropped into a C. elegans chemosensory pathway to route a signal around the broken part and restore the behaviour that depended on it.
Prior work, kept here for what it says about the habit rather than the result — that a circuit is something you can measure, break, and rebuild, and that the interesting question is usually where the signal actually goes rather than where the diagram says it should.
No public link for this one. Ask and I will send the manuscript.