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Introduction: | Introduction: | ||
In the Microsystems Lab, we are studying the sense of touch, specifically how our bodies undergo mechanotransduction, the process in which mechanical signals such as forces and displacements are converted into electrochemical signals that our nervous system can understand. The human body is incredibly complex, so we are first tackling the touch sensation problem in a popular neuroscience model organism, the ''Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans)''. | |||
''C. elegans'' is a small nematode, about 1 mm in length and about 50 um wide. It consists of about 1000 somatic cells and exactly 302 neurons. It was the first animal to have its genome fully mapped, as well as its complete neural network. Finally, it is a convenient sample in a biology lab because it grows to become a full adult animal in only four days. Because of all these traits, the animal lends itself easily to genetic mutation, allowing us to modulate different aspects of the worm’s composition for study. | |||
Methods: | Methods: | ||
Revision as of 21:08, 19 March 2013
Introduction:
In the Microsystems Lab, we are studying the sense of touch, specifically how our bodies undergo mechanotransduction, the process in which mechanical signals such as forces and displacements are converted into electrochemical signals that our nervous system can understand. The human body is incredibly complex, so we are first tackling the touch sensation problem in a popular neuroscience model organism, the Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans).
C. elegans is a small nematode, about 1 mm in length and about 50 um wide. It consists of about 1000 somatic cells and exactly 302 neurons. It was the first animal to have its genome fully mapped, as well as its complete neural network. Finally, it is a convenient sample in a biology lab because it grows to become a full adult animal in only four days. Because of all these traits, the animal lends itself easily to genetic mutation, allowing us to modulate different aspects of the worm’s composition for study.
Methods:
Results: File:Video1.avi
Conclusions:
References:
Appendix: