Li, ZhaoyuZhou, JiejunWani, Khursheed AYu, TengRonan, Elizabeth APiggott, Beverly JLiu, JianfengXu, X Z Shawn2024-06-172024-06-172023-08-15Li Z, Zhou J, Wani KA, Yu T, Ronan EA, Piggott BJ, Liu J, Xu XZS. A C. elegans neuron both promotes and suppresses motor behavior to fine tune motor output. Front Mol Neurosci. 2023 Aug 15;16:1228980. doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1228980. PMID: 37680582; PMCID: PMC10482346.1662-509910.3389/fnmol.2023.122898037680582https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/53499How neural circuits drive behavior is a central question in neuroscience. Proper execution of motor behavior requires precise coordination of many neurons. Within a motor circuit, individual neurons tend to play discrete roles by promoting or suppressing motor output. How exactly neurons function in specific roles to fine tune motor output is not well understood. In C. elegans, the interneuron RIM plays important yet complex roles in locomotion behavior. Here, we show that RIM both promotes and suppresses distinct features of locomotion behavior to fine tune motor output. This dual function is achieved via the excitation and inhibition of the same motor circuit by electrical and chemical neurotransmission, respectively. Additionally, this bi-directional regulation contributes to motor adaptation in animals placed in novel environments. Our findings reveal that individual neurons within a neural circuit may act in opposing ways to regulate circuit dynamics to fine tune behavioral output.en© 2023 Li, Zhou, Wani, Yu, Ronan, Piggott, Liu and Xu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.; Attribution 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/C. elegansglutamatemotor behaviormotor controlneural circuitJournal ArticleFrontiers in molecular neuroscience