Major Functions of C. elegans Neurotransmitters

 

Inhibition

 

Promotion

Octopamine

Egg laying

Pharyngeal pumping

 

 

 

 

Tyramine

Egg laying

Pharyngeal pumping

Spontaneous reversal

 

 

 

Dopamine

Food-dependent forward movement

 

 

Slows movements in the presence of food

High-angle turning

Learning behaviors

Serotonin

Locomotion

Defecation

 

Pharyngeal pumping

Egg laying

 

GABA

Muscle contraction

 

 

Muscle relaxation

Defecation

 

Acetylcholine

 

 

 

Muscle contractions

 

 

Table 1: Summary of major functions associated with neurotransmitters in C. elegans.