RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Reversal Frequency in Caenorhabditis elegans Represents an Integrated Response to the State of the Animal and Its Environment JF The Journal of Neuroscience JO J. Neurosci. FD Society for Neuroscience SP 5319 OP 5328 DO 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.23-12-05319.2003 VO 23 IS 12 A1 Beibei Zhao A1 Parul Khare A1 Lisa Feldman A1 Joseph A. Dent YR 2003 UL http://www.jneurosci.org/content/23/12/5319.abstract AB The locomotion of Caenorhabditis elegans consists of forward crawling punctuated by spontaneous reversals. To better understand the important variables that affect locomotion, we have described in detail the locomotory behavior of C. elegans and identified a set of parameters that are sufficient to describe the animal's trajectory. A model of locomotion based on these parameters indicates that reversal frequency plays a central role in locomotion. We found that several variables such as humidity, gravidity, and mechanostimulation influence reversal frequency. Specifically, both gentle and harsh touch can transiently suppress reversal frequency. Thus, reversal behavior is a model for the integration of information from numerous modalities reflecting diverse aspects of the state of an organism.