Flexible modulation of neuronal population dynamics drives variable decision-making in C. elegans

Madhusudhanan, J.; Parinov, A.; Fieseler, C.; Zimmer, M.

doi:10.64898/2026.09.03.749061

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bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.09.03.749061

Flexible modulation of neuronal population dynamics drives variable decision-making in C. elegans

Madhusudhanan, J.·Parinov, A.·Fieseler, C.·Zimmer, M.

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Abstract

Behavior arises from the interplay between spontaneous brain dynamics and sensory-driven responses, yet how spontaneous neural activity shapes variability in decision-making remains unclear. We leverage the tractable C. elegans nervous system to address this question. During oxygen avoidance, we observe binary trial-to-trial variability in behavioral responses. Whole-brain calcium imaging reveals a brain-wide sensory-to-motor transformation in which sensory neurons faithfully encode the stimulus but do not predict choice. Instead, decision-related information is distributed across interneurons and motor neurons, encoded through a neuronal subspace. This decision-biasing state evolves slowly during the pre-stimulus period, resembling preparatory dynamics for spontaneous behavioral transitions but receives neuromodulatory contributions. Optogenetic manipulations reveal that only a subset of neurons within this distributed representation are causally connected to choice. This reveals a dissociation between broad information sharing and control via dedicated localized nodes. Thus, response variability arises from slowly evolving modulation of brain states rather than stochastic circuit noise.

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Madhusudhanan, J., Parinov, A., Fieseler, C., Zimmer, M.. 2026-09-08. Flexible modulation of neuronal population dynamics drives variable decision-making in C. elegans. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.03.749061

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