Video shows measurements of neural activity in the worm’s head as individual neurons are optically stimulated one-at-a-time. The neuron in the crosshairs is stimulated when the words “Stimulated” appear. When neurons become active they appear dark red in this visualization. Video is sped up 4x.

The details of the experiment are chronicled in a recent study published in the journal Nature. The team consisted of postdoctoral researcher Francesco Randi, graduate student Sophie Dvali, and laboratory manager Anuj Sharma, and was led by Andrew Leifer, an assistant professor of physics and neuroscience. 

Photo Attribution: Francesco Randi, Princeton University