Integration of Plasticity Mechanisms within a Single Sensory Neuron of C. elegans Actuates a Memory

Neural plasticity, the ability of neurons to change their properties in response to experiences, underpins the nervous system’s capacity to form memories and actuate behaviors. How different plasticity mechanisms act together in vivo and at a cellular level to transform sensory information into behavior is not well understood. We show that in Caenorhabditis elegans two plasticity mechanisms—sensory adaptation and presynaptic plasticity—act within a single cell to encode thermosensory information and actuate a temperature preference memory. Sensory adaptation adjusts the temperature range of the sensory neuron (called AFD) to optimize detection of temperature fluctuations associated with migration. Presynaptic plasticity in AFD is regulated by the conserved kinase nPKCε and transforms thermosensory information into a behavioral preference. Bypassing AFD presynaptic plasticity predictably changes learned behavioral preferences without affecting sensory responses. Our findings indicate that two distinct neuroplasticity mechanisms function together through a single-cell logic system to enact thermotactic behavior. [Display omitted] [Display omitted] •Sensory adaptation and presynaptic plasticity act within a single neuron in vivo•Integration of these plasticity mechanisms underpins a temperature preference memory•Sensory adaptation enables migrating animal to detect temperature changes•Presynaptic plasticity transforms this thermosensory information into a preference Neural plasticity, the ability of neurons to change their cellular properties in response to past experiences, underpins memory. Hawk et al. show that in C. elegans a single-cell logic system can both represent sensory stimuli and guide memory-based behavioral preference.