Preying on hungry, anxious worms

The life of the tiny worm called C. elegans consists mostly of looking for food, eating food, and laying eggs. So, when any of these behaviors are disrupted, there’s cause for concern. In a new study, Professor Sreekanth Chalasani, co-first authors Amy Pribadi and Michael Rieger, and colleagues discovered that the “feel good” brain chemical dopamine regulates anxious worm behavior in the presence of nipping predators. The findings illuminate how this dopamine-regulated brain pathway may be related to anxiety and could provide insight into human conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Read News Release