The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a leading model system in genetics, development and neurobiology; its transparent body and small size make it particularly suitable for fluorescent imaging of cells and neurons within microfluidic setups. Simultaneously recording activity in bilaterally symmetric cells has proved difficult in C. elegans because the worm enters the chip and is then immobilised when it is lying on one side of the body. We developed a side-view rotatable microfluidic device that allows us to image a pair of bilateral neurons in a single focal plane of an epi-fluorescence microscope. We demonstrated the utility of the device by recording the responses of immobilised worms to controlled stimuli, focusing on the responses of two classes of head sensory neurons to changes in NaCl concentration. The results indicate that responses of ASE left and right and ASH left and right sensory neurons are stochastic. Simultaneous recordings of ASH left and right neurons tend to synchronise, pointing to a role of gap junctional connectivity. The anatomy of the C. elegans nerve ring makes this microfluidic approach ideally suited for the study of spatially extended pairs of neurons or larger neuronal circuits that lie within a limited depth of field.

线虫秀丽隐杆线虫是遗传学，发育和神经生物学方面的领先模型系统。它的透明体和小尺寸使其特别适用于微流体装置中细胞和神经元的荧光成像。已证明在秀丽隐杆线虫中同时记录双侧对称细胞的活性因为蠕虫进入切屑，然后当它躺在身体的一侧时被固定住。我们开发了可旋转的侧视图微流控设备，使我们能够在落射荧光显微镜的单个焦平面中对一对双侧神经元成像。我们通过记录固定蠕虫对受控刺激的反应来证明该设备的实用性，重点是两类头部感觉神经元对NaCl浓度变化的响应。结果表明，ASE左右感觉神经和ASH左右感觉神经元的反应是随机的。ASH左右神经元的同时记录往往会同步，这表明间隙连接连接的作用。秀丽隐杆线虫的解剖 神经环使这种微流体方法非常适合研究在有限景深内的神经元或较大神经元回路的空间扩展对。