Worms Have Teenage Ambivalence, Too

Work by Sreekanth Chalasani’s lab suggests that, in both roundworms and humans, adolescent brains mature to stable adult brains by changing which brain cells they use to generate behavior. Teen worm brains drive wishy-washy behavior that allows them to stay flexible in an uncertain world, while adult worm brains drive efficient behavior. The discovery, published online in eNeuro in January by Chalasani, first author Laura Hale and colleagues, provides insight into the underlying drivers of neurological development that could help better understand the human brain and disease.