Biology subjects

Chalasani, S. H.

Publications and source records attributed to Chalasani, S. H..

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Sonogenetic control of cardiomyocytes and cardiac pacing using exogenous Transient Receptor Potential A1 channels

Electronic cardiac pacemakers are the standard of care for treating arrhythmias but, even for wireless pacemakers, they require an intracardiac implant procedure and are invasive. Lead-related complications, including life-threatening infections, and limited suitability in pediatric patients restrict pacemaker use. Biological pacing has emerged as a hardware-free alternative, leveraging cell reprogramming approaches to generate pacemaker-like cardiomyocytes. Despite progress, biological strategies face challenges related to complex signaling pathways, intercellular coupling, durability of effect, efficacy, and safety. In addition, once ion channels or cells are implanted, biological pacemakers offer limited real-time programmability, whereas electronic pacemakers enable continuous adjustment of pacing output based on cardiac performance. Here we propose a hybrid approach that combines genetic sensitization with external control by exploring the feasibility of sonogenetic cardiac pacing. We express the ultrasound-sensitive ion channel hsTRPA1 in cardiomyocytes and use noninvasive ultrasound to modulate channel activity and cardiac function. Using calcium imaging, we show that hsTRPA1 potentiates ultrasound-evoked responses in cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, cardiac expression of hsTRPA1 in mice increases heart rate in response to ultrasound delivered noninvasively through the intact chest, without evidence of a thermal mechanism under the conditions tested. Together, these results establish a proof of concept for sonogenetic cardiac pacing and define an initial acoustic and genetic parameter space compatible with preserving baseline cardiac function. More broadly, this work positions sonogenetics as a minimally invasive, wireless strategy for cardiac rhythm control and motivates future optimization and safety studies toward translation.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2024

Accept-reject decision-making revealed via a quantitative and ethological study of C. elegans foraging

Decision-making is a ubiquitous component of animal behavior that is often studied in the context of foraging. Foragers make a series of decisions while locating food (food search), choosing between food types (diet or patch choice), and allocating time spent within patches of food (patch-leaving). Here, we introduce a framework for investigating foraging decisions using detailed analysis of individual behavior and quantitative modeling in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. We demonstrate that C. elegans make accept-reject patch choice decisions upon encounter with food. Specifically, we show that when foraging amongst small, dispersed, and dilute patches of bacteria, C. elegans initially reject several bacterial patches, opting to prioritize exploration of the environment, before switching to a more exploitatory foraging strategy during subsequent encounters. Observed across a range of bacterial patch densities, sizes, and distributions, we use a quantitative model to show that this decision to explore or exploit is guided by available sensory information, internal satiety signals, and learned environmental statistics related to the bacterial density of recently encountered and exploited patches. We behaviorally validated model predictions on animals that had been food-deprived, animals foraging in environments with multiple patch densities, and null mutants with defective sensory modalities. Broadly, we present a framework to study ecologically relevant foraging decisions that could guide future investigations into the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying decision-making.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2024

Evolution of lateralized gustation in nematodes

Animals with small nervous systems have a limited number of sensory neurons that must encode information from a changing environment. This problem is particularly exacerbated in nematodes that populate a wide variety of distinct ecological niches but only have a few sensory neurons available to encode multiple modalities. How does sensory diversity prevail within this constraint in neuron number? To identify the genetic basis for patterning different nervous systems, we demonstrate that sensory neurons in Pristionchus pacificus respond to various salt sensory cues in a manner that is partially distinct from that of the distantly related nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. By visualizing neuronal activity patterns, we show that contrary to previous expectations based on its genome sequence, the salt responses of P. pacificus are encoded in a left/right asymmetric manner in the bilateral ASE neuron pair. Our study illustrates patterns of evolutionary stability and change in the gustatory system of nematodes. Animals with small nervous systems have evolved left and right asymmetry in their neurons to process various salts at different concentrations.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2024

Interdependence between SEB-3 and NLP-49 peptides shifts across predator-induced defensive behavioral modes in Caenorhabditis elegans

Prey must balance the need to avoid predators with the need to feed, a dilemma central to prey refuge theory. Additionally, prey must also assess predatory imminence, or how close predator threats are in space and time. Predatory imminence theory classifies defensive behaviors into three defense modes--pre-encounter, post-encounter, and circa-strike--each corresponding to increasing levels of predatory imminence--suspecting a predator, detecting a predator, and contact with a predatory attack. Although prey often simultaneously face variations in predatory imminence and spatial distribution of predation risks, research on how these factors intersect to influence defensive behaviors has been limited. Integrating these factors into a complex, naturalistic environment could enable comprehensive analysis of multiple defense modes in consistent conditions within the same study, unlike laboratory tests designed to examine only one mode at a time. Here, we combine prey refuge and predatory imminence theories to develop a model system of nematode defensive behaviors, with Caenorhabditis elegans as prey and Pristionchus pacificus as predator. We show that C. elegans innately exhibits circa-strike behaviors in a foraging environment comprised of a food-rich, high-risk patch and a food-poor, predator-free refuge. However, after extended experience in this environment, C. elegans acquires post- and pre-encounter behaviors that proactively anticipate threats rather than merely reacting to attacks. We also demonstrate that these defense modes are potentiated by increasingly harmful predators, with only life-threatening predators capable of eliciting all three defense modes. Finally, our model system reveals that SEB-3 receptors and NLP-49 peptides, key to stress response regulation, vary in their impact and interdependence across defense modes. We find that SEB-3 has a greater impact on the highest-imminence defense mode, while NLP-49 peptides have a stronger effect on the lowest-imminence defense mode. Overall, our model system reveals detailed and comprehensive insights into how stress-related molecular signaling affects behavioral responses to threats.

animal behavior and cognition↗

bioRxiv2024

Neurexin drives C. elegans avoidance behavior independently of its post-synaptic binding partner Neuroligin

Neurexins and their canonical binding partners, neuroligins, are localized to neuronal pre-, and post-synapses, respectively, but less is known about their role in driving behaviors. Here, we use the nematode C. elegans to show that neurexin, but not neuroligin, is required for avoiding specific chemorepellents. We find that adults with knockouts of the entire neurexin locus exhibit a strong avoidance deficit in response to glycerol and a weaker defect in response to copper. Notably, the C. elegans neurexin (nrx-1) locus, like its mammalian homologs, encodes multiple isoforms, and {gamma}. Using isoform-specific mutations, we find that the {gamma} isoform is selectively required for glycerol avoidance. Next, we used transgenic rescue experiments to show that this isoform functions at least partially in the nervous system. We also confirm that the transgenes are expressed in the neurons and observe protein accumulation in neurites. Furthermore, we tested whether these mutants affect the behavioral responses of juveniles. We find that juveniles (4th larval stages) of mutants knocking out the entire locus or the -isoforms, but not {gamma}-isoform, are defective in avoiding glycerol. These results suggest that the different neurexin isoforms affect chemosensory avoidance behavior in juveniles and adults, providing a general principle of how isoforms of this conserved gene affect behavior across species. Article SummaryThe conserved neurexin locus can encode multiple isoforms via alternate splicing, but very little is known about the function of individual isoforms. We show that the C. elegans neurexin {gamma} isoform is specifically required for glycerol, but not copper or quinine avoidance in adults. In contrast, we find that , but not {gamma}, isoforms are required for avoiding glycerol in juveniles. Collectively, we suggest that different neurexin isoforms are required in juveniles and adults to modify chemosensory behavior.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2024

Identification and characterization of a skin microbiome on Caenorhabditis elegans suggests environmental microbes confer cuticle protection

In the wild, C. elegans are emersed in environments teeming with a veritable menagerie of microorganisms. The C. elegans cuticular surface serves as a barrier and first point of contact with this microbial milieux. Here, we identify microbes from C. elegans natural habitats that associate with its cuticle, constituting a simple skin microbiome. We rear our animals on a modified CeMbio, mCeMbio, a consortium of ecologically relevant microbes. We first combine standard microbiological methods with an adapted micro skin-swabbing tool to describe the skin-resident bacteria on the C. elegans surface. Further, we conduct 16S rRNA gene sequencing studies to identify relative shifts in the proportion of mCeMbio bacteria upon surface-sterilization, implying distinct skin-and gut-microbiomes. We find that some strains of bacteria, including Enterobacter sp. JUb101, are primarily found on the nematode skin, while others like Stenotrophomonas indicatrix JUb19 and Ochrobactrum vermis MYb71 are predominantly in the animals gut. Finally, we show that this skin microbiome promotes host cuticle integrity in harsh environments. Together, we identify a skin microbiome for the well-studied nematode model and propose its value in conferring host fitness advantages in naturalized contexts. ImportanceThe genetic model organism C. elegans has recently emerged as a tool for understanding host-microbiome interactions. Nearly all of these studies either focus on pathogenic or gut-resident microbes. Little is known about the existence of native, non-pathogenic skin microbes or their function. We show that members of a modified C. elegans model microbiome, mCeMbio, can adhere to the animals cuticle and confer protection from noxious environments. We combine a novel micro-swab tool, the first 16S microbial sequencing data from relatively unperturbed C. elegans, and physiological assays to demonstrate microbially mediated protection of the skin. This work serves as a foundation to explore wild C. elegans skin microbiomes and use C. elegans as a model for skin research.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2023

Conserved autism-associated genes tune social feeding behavior in C. elegans

Animal foraging is an essential and evolutionarily conserved behavior that occurs in social and solitary contexts, but the underlying molecular pathways are not well defined. We discover that conserved autism-associated genes (NRXN1(nrx-1), NLGN3(nlg-1), GRIA1,2,3(glr-1), GRIA2(glr-2), and GLRA2,GABRA3(avr-15)) regulate aggregate feeding in C. elegans, a simple social behavior. NRX-1 functions in chemosensory neurons (ADL and ASH) independently of its postsynaptic partner NLG-1 to regulate social feeding. Glutamate from these neurons is also crucial for aggregate feeding, acting independently of NRX-1 and NLG-1. Compared to solitary counterparts, social animals show faster presynaptic release and more presynaptic release sites in ASH neurons, with only the latter requiring nrx-1. Disruption of these distinct signaling components additively converts behavior from social to solitary. Aggregation induced by circuit activation is also dependent on nrx-1. Collectively, we find that aggregate feeding is tuned by conserved autism-associated genes through complementary synaptic mechanisms, revealing molecular principles driving social feeding. TEASERConserved autism-associated genes mediate distinct molecular and circuit signaling components that cooperate to tune C. elegans social feeding behavior.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2022

Dopamine signaling regulates predator-driven behavioral changes in Caenorhabditis elegans

Prey respond to predators by altering their behavior to optimize their own fitness and survival. Specifically, prey are known to avoid predator-occupied territories to reduce their risk of harm or injury to themselves and their progeny. We probe the interactions between Caenorhabditis elegans and its naturally cohabiting predator Pristionchus uniformis to reveal the pathways driving changes in prey behavior. While C. elegans prefers to lay its eggs on a bacteria food lawn, the presence of a predator inside a lawn induces C. elegans to lays more eggs away from that lawn. We confirm that this change in egg laying is in response to bites from predators, rather than to predatory secretions. Moreover, predator-exposed prey continue to lay their eggs away from the dense lawn even after the predator is removed, indicating a form of learning. Next, we find that mutants in dopamine synthesis significantly reduce egg laying behavior off the lawn in both predator-free and predator-inhabited lawns, which we can rescue by transgenic complementation or supplementation with exogenous dopamine. Moreover, we find that dopamine is likely released from multiple dopaminergic neurons and requires combinations of both D1-(DOP-1), and D2-like (DOP-2 and DOP-3) dopamine receptors to alter predator-induced egg laying behavior, whereas other combinations modify baseline levels of egg laying behavior. Together, we show that dopamine signaling can alter both predator-free and predator-induced foraging strategies, implying a role for this pathway in defensive behaviors.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2022

Conserved neuropeptidergic regulation of intestinal integrity in invertebrate models of aging

Age-related decline in intestinal barrier function impacts survival across species, but the underlying cell intrinsic and extrinsic factors remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate a role for neuropeptides in regulating aging-associated increases in intestinal leakiness. Adult-specific knockdown of insulin-like peptides daf-28 or ins-7 in C. elegans neurons or dilp3 in D. melanogaster neurons improves intestinal integrity and lifespan of these animals, respectively. Neuropeptide knockdowns activate intestinal DAF-16/FOXO transcription factor that likely increases expression of epithelial barrier components. Furthermore, age-associated changes in neuronal DAF-28 peptide secretion mirrors C. elegans reproductive span and overexpression of this peptide suppresses the improved intestinal health in long-lived germline-less animals. Collectively, we show that intestinal integrity is subject to neuronal regulation, and this neuropeptidergic axis may be modulated by the animals germline.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2022

Pyrrole produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa influences olfactory food choice of Caenorhabditis elegans

Sense of smell can influence dietary choices in animals. So far, most of the research has focused on how animals respond to distinct odors when they are introduced individually. However, it remains unclear how animals evaluate foods that contain a bouquet of olfactory cues with contrasting effects. Here, we utilize Caenorhabditis elegans as a bacterivore to ask if odors produced by dietary bacteria can regulate worms food preferences. We show that the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa produces a relatively small quantity of a new attractant for C. elegans. We identify the odor as a heterocyclic compound called pyrrole. We find that pyrrole contributes to the sensory decision-making of worms in diet preference assays. Using specific neuronal ablation lines and calcium response assays, we show that AWA odor sensory neurons of worms are necessary for sensing pyrrole. In all, we show that specific odors produced by bacteria can influence food choice behavior of animals.

animal behavior and cognition↗

bioRxiv2021

Numerous expansions in TRP ion channel diversity highlight widespread evolution of molecular sensors in animal diversification.

Transient Potential Receptor (TRP) ion channels are a diverse superfamily of multimodal molecular sensors that respond to a wide variety of stimuli, including mechanical, chemical, and thermal. TRP channels are present in most eukaryotes but best understood in mammalian, worm, and fly genetic models, where they are expressed in diverse cell-types and commonly associated with the nervous system. Here, we characterized TRP superfamily gene and genome evolution to better understand origins and evolution of molecular sensors, brains, and behavior in animals and help advance development of novel genetic technologies, like sonogenetics. We developed a flexible push-button bioinformatic and phylogenomic pipeline, GIGANTIC, that generated genome-based gene and species trees and enabled phylogenetic characterization of challenging remote homologs and distantly-related organisms deep in evolution. We identified complete sets of TRP superfamily ion channels, with over 3000 genes in 22 animal phyla and 70 species having publicly-available sequenced genomes, including 3 unicellular outgroups. We then identified clusters of TRP family members in genomes, evaluated gene models per cluster, and repaired split gene models. We also produced whole-organism PacBio transcriptomes for five species to independently validate our gene model assessment and model repairs. We find that many TRP families exhibited numerous and often extensive expansions in different phyla. Some expansions represent local clusters on respective genomes, a trend that is likely undercounted due to varied quality in genome assemblies and annotations of non-model organisms. Our work expands known TRP diversity across animals, including addition of previously uncharacterized phyla and identification of unrecognized homologs in previously characterized species.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Two parallel pathways are required for ultrasound-evoked behavioral changes in Caenorhabditis elegans

Ultrasound has been shown to affect the function of both neurons and non-neuronal cells. However, the underlying molecular machinery has been poorly understood. Here, we show that at least two mechanosensitive proteins act in parallel to generate C. elegans behavioral responses to ultrasound stimuli. We first show that these animals generate reversals in response to a single 10 msec pulse from a 2.25 MHz ultrasound transducer. Next, we show that the pore-forming subunit of the mechanosensitive channel TRP-4, and a DEG/ENaC/ASIC ion channel MEC-4, are both required for this ultrasound-evoked reversal response. Further, the trp-4 mec-4 double mutant shows a stronger behavioral deficit compared to either single mutant. Finally, overexpressing TRP-4 in specific chemosensory neurons can rescue the ultrasound-triggered behavioral deficit in the mec-4 null mutant, suggesting that these two pathways act in parallel. Together, we demonstrate that multiple mechanosensitive proteins likely cooperate to transform ultrasound stimuli into behavioral changes.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2021

Microscale concert hall acoustics to produce uniform ultrasound stimulation for targeted sonogenetics in hsTRPA1-transfected cells

The field of ultrasound neuromodulation has rapidly developed over the past decade, a consequence of the discovery of strain-sensitive structures in the membrane and organelles of cells extending into the brain, heart, and other organs. Notably, clinical trials are underway for treating epilepsy using focused ultrasound to elicit an organized local electrical response. A key limitation to this approach is the formation of standing waves within the skull. In standing acoustic waves, the maximum ultrasound intensity spatially varies from near zero to double the mean in one half a wavelength, and can lead to localized tissue damage and disruption of normal brain function while attempting to evoke a broader response. This phenomenon also produces a large spatial variation in the actual ultrasound exposure in tissue, leading to heterogeneous results and challenges with interpreting these effects. One approach to overcome this limitation is presented herein: transducer-mounted diffusers that result in spatiotemporally incoherent ultrasound. The signal is numerically and experimentally quantified in an enclosed domain with and without the diffuser. Specifically, we show that adding the diffuser leads to a two-fold increase in ultrasound responsiveness of hsTRPA1 transfected HEK cells. Furthermore, we demonstrate the diffuser allow us to produce an uniform spatial distribution of pressure in the rodent skull. Collectively, we propose that our approach leads to a means to deliver uniform ultrasound into irregular cavities for sonogenetics.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2021

Ultrasound mediated cellular deflection results in cellular depolarization

Ultrasound has been used to manipulate cells in both humans and animal models. While intramembrane cavitation and lipid clustering have been suggested as likely mechanisms, they lack experimental evidence. Here we use high-speed digital holographic microscopy (to 100-kHz order) to visualize the cellular membrane dynamics. We show that neuronal and fibroblast membranes deflect about 150 nm upon ultrasound stimulation. Next, we develop a biomechanical model that predicts changes in membrane voltage after ultrasound exposure. Finally, we validate our model predictions using whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology on primary neurons. Collectively, we show that ultrasound stimulation directly defects the neuronal membrane leading to a change in membrane voltage and subsequent depolarization. Our model is consistent with existing data and provides a mechanism for both ultrasound-evoked neurostimulation and sonogenetic control.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2021

State dependence of neural networks on past history and stimulus presentation in Caenorhabditis elegans

Neurons represent changes in external and internal environments by altering their activity patterns. While coherent brain-wide patterns of neural activity have been observed in neuronal populations, very little is known about their dimensionality, geometry, and how they are correlated with sensory inputs. Here, we recorded the activity of most head neurons in Caenorhabditis elegans experiencing changes in bacterial or control buffer stimuli around their nose. We first classified active neurons into six functional clusters: two sensory neuron clusters (ON and OFF responding to addition and removal of stimuli, respectively) and four motor/command neuron clusters (AVA, RME, SMDD and SMDV). Next, we estimated stimulus selectivity for each cluster and found that while sensory neurons exhibit their maximal responses within 15 seconds, changes in bacterial stimuli drive maximal responses in command and motor neuron clusters after tens of seconds. Furthermore, we show that bacterial stimuli induce neural dynamics that are best described by a hyperbolic, not Euclidean, space, of dimensionality eight. The hyperbolic space provided a better description of neural activity than the standard Euclidean space. This space can be separated into three components - one sensory, and two motor directions (forward-backward and dorsal-ventral). Collectively, we show that C. elegans neural activity can be effectively represented in low-dimensional hyperbolic space to describe a sensorimotor transformation. Significance statementA major function of a nervous system is to transform sensory information into behavioral outputs. As the first receiver of sensory input, sensory neuronal activity is often most correlated with stimulus features. However, this sensory activity is modified as it travels to other neurons, where it integrates with network activity before altering motor neurons and driving corresponding behavior. Activity in non-sensory neurons is driven by ongoing network activity and sensory input, but distinguishing between their relative contributions is often difficult. Here, we identify two sensory and four command/motor neuron clusters in the C. elegans neural network responding to bacterial stimuli and define their receptive fields. We then use a hyperbolic embedding to identify how these clusters interact with each other and identify the relevant dimensions that might alter behavior. Our method is fully scalable to other systems, including those without neuronal identities, and allows us to attribute neural activity to network states and behavioral outputs.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2021

Distinct foraging strategies generated by single-action behavioural flexibility

Animals with diverse diets must adapt their food priorities to a wide variety of environmental conditions. This diet optimization problem is especially complex for predators that compete with prey for food. Although predator-prey competition is widespread and ecologically critical, it remains difficult to disentangle predatory and competitive motivations for attacking competing prey. Here, we dissect the foraging decisions of the omnivorous nematode Pristionchus pacificus to reveal that its seemingly failed predatory attempts against Caenorhabditis elegans are actually motivated acts of efficacious territorial aggression. While P. pacificus easily kills and eats larval C. elegans with a single bite, adult C. elegans typically survives and escapes from bites. However, nonfatal biting can provide competitive benefits by reducing access of adult C. elegans and its progeny to bacterial food that P. pacificus also eats. We show that P. pacificus considers costs and benefits of both predatory and territorial outcomes to decide which food goal, prey or bacteria, should guide its motivation for biting. These predatory and territorial motivations impose different sets of rules for adjusting willingness to bite in response to changes in bacterial abundance. In addition to biting, predatory and territorial motivations also influence which search tactic P. pacificus uses to increase encounters with C. elegans. When treated with an octopamine receptor antagonist, P. pacificus switches from territorial to predatory motivation for both biting and search. Overall, we demonstrate that P. pacificus assesses alternate outcomes of attacking C. elegans and flexibly reprograms its foraging strategy to prioritize either prey or bacterial food.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

Targeted millisecond-scale activation of cells using non-invasive Sonogenetics

Ultrasound has been used to non-invasively manipulate neuronal functions in humans and other animals1-4. However, this approach is limited as it has been challenging to target specific cells within the brain or body5-8. Here, we identify human Transient Receptor Potential A1 (hsTRPA1) as a candidate that confers ultrasound sensitivity to mammalian cells. Ultrasound-evoked gating of hsTRPA1 specifically requires its N-terminal tip region and cholesterol interactions; and target cells with an intact actin cytoskeleton, revealing elements of the sonogenetic mechanism. Next, we use calcium imaging and electrophysiology to show that hsTRPA1 potentiates ultrasound-evoked responses in primary neurons. Furthermore, unilateral expression of hsTRPA1 in mouse layer V motor cortical neurons leads to c-fos expression and contralateral limb responses in response to ultrasound delivered through an intact skull. Collectively, we demonstrate that hsTRPA1-based sonogenetics can effectively manipulate neurons within the intact mammalian brain, a method that could be used across species.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

Neural network features distinguish chemosensory stimuli in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Nervous systems extract and process information from their environment to alter animal behavior and physiology. Despite progress in understanding how different stimuli are represented by changes in neuronal activity, less is known about how they affect broader neural network properties. We developed a framework to use graph-theoretic features of neural network activity and predict ecologically-relevant stimulus properties - namely, stimulus identity and valence. Specifically, we used the transparent nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, with its small nervous system, to define neural network features associated with various chemosensory stimuli. We trapped animals using a microfluidic device and exposed their noses to chemical stimuli known to be attractive or repellent, while monitoring changes in neural activity in more than 40 neurons in their heads. We found that repellents trigger higher average neural activity across the network, and that the tastant salt increases neural variability. In contrast, graph-theoretic features, which capture patterns of interactions between neurons, are better suited to decode stimulus identity than measures of neural activity. Furthermore, we show that a simple machine learning classifier trained using graph-theoretic features alone or in combination with neural activity features can accurately predict stimulus identity. These results indicate that graph theory reveals network characteristics that are distinct from neural activity, confirming its utility in extracting stimulus properties from neural population data. Significance StatementChanges in the external environment (stimuli) alter patterns of neural activity in animal nervous systems. A central challenge in computational neuroscience is to identify how stimulus properties alter interactions between neurons. We recorded neural activity data from C. elegans head neurons while the animal experienced various chemosensory stimuli. We then used a combination of activity statistics (i.e., average, standard deviation, and several frequency-based measures) and graph-theoretic features of network structure (e.g., modularity - the extent to which a network can be divided into independent clusters) to define neural properties that can accurately predict stimulus identity. Our method is general and can be used across species.

neuroscience↗