Psychology

C. elegans are commonly used for human studies due to the similarities in their genetics. According to Rosso (2019), roundworms can help explain PTSD in humans by studying the neurons associated with memory in C. elegans. About 40 percent of C. elegans’ 20,000 genes are comparable to those of humans. A study was published in 2019, by Dr. Alon Zaslaver and Dr. Yifat Eliezer, and other team members. They groomed the nematodes to create associative memories. They starved the roundworms and squirted them with a fragrance. The doctors hoped that the roundworms would connect the fragrance with hunger which can be a stressful experience for them.  After a day without food, the researchers gave the roundworms food and squirted them again with the first fragrance. The nematodes triggered the genes for stress-protection. Next, the team used neuro-genetic methods to find the associative memories in the neurons. They genetically altered a separate group of C. elegans that produce a light when stressed. Finally, to achieve this, they used optogenetics and channelrhodopsin. When the nematodes remember their experiences, they would turn blue without being squirted. The researchers hoped that their findings could be applied in ways to alleviate PTSD in people.