Fig. 1

A: Layers in modeling C. elegans neuromuscular activity. Left to right: Layer 1: Modeling the nervous systems as a dynamical system encompassing the full somatic connectome including connectivity neural dynamics. Layer 2: Mapping neural dynamics to dynamic muscle impulses (forces). Layer 3: Muscle impulses are mapped to a biomechanical body model that incorporates body responses and interaction with the environment. Neural stimuli are integrated forward to resolve body movements. External forces are propagated backward to resolve corresponding neural dynamics. B: Typical locomotion patterns generated by three types of external wave forces, corresponding to forward (top), backward (middle), 180° turn (bottom) movements. The external force is propagated backward to resolve neural dynamics, which are integrated forward to produces movements. Locomotion patterns are characterized using body snapshots, sampled every 2 s, (left), curvature (middle) and muscle force (right)