Home Page | The Laboratory of Behavioural Neurogenetics

Systematic phenomics analysis of autism-associated genes reveals parallel networks underlying reversible impairments in habituation
Our lab’s recent publication in PNAS showcases how C. elegans can be used to systematically study the function of genes linked to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). By analyzing 135 worm strains carrying mutations in ASD-associated gene orthologs, we uncovered hundreds of behavioral and developmental phenotypes, including changes in movement, sensory responses, and learning. This large-scale […] Read More
Dr. Rankin Receives Pavlovian Society’s Gantt Medal 2024
Dr. Catharine Rankin has been awarded the Pavlovian Society’s prestigious Gantt Medal in recognition of her impactful career advancing our understanding of non-associative learning and memory. An internationally recognized leader in behavioral neuroscience, she has used C. elegans to reveal how genes, neural circuits, and experience interact to shape behavior. Over her career, Dr. Rankin’s […] Read More
Read how Dr. Rankin discovered that C. elegans can learn
From an unexpected microscope demo to a groundbreaking discovery, Dr. Rankin’s journey into C. elegans research began by chance and forever changed the field. Her lab was the first to show that these tiny worms, once thought incapable of learning, could in fact remember and adapt their behaviour. This serendipitous finding opened the door to […] Read More
Habituation as an adaptive shift in response strategy mediated by neuropeptides
New work from the Rankin lab published in Nature Publishing Science of Learning integrates the analysis of habituation with changes in ongoing behaviour to redefine our understanding of this ubiquitous form of non-associative learning. Link to the open access article here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41539-017-0011-8 Abstract: Habituation is a non-associative form of learning characterized by a decremented response to repeated […] Read More
New review on automated behavioural analyses published in Genes, Brain and Behavior
A new review from our lab written by Troy McDiarmid, Alex Yu, and Catharine Rankin has just been published in Genes, Brain and Behavior. The review covers the history of automated behavioural analysis in C. elegans the cool things we and others have learned from these systems, and the multiomic directions the field is headed! Link: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gbb.12437/abstract Read More
Long-term memories in short-lived worms
Despite an extremely short life span (~2 weeks) C. elegans display a remarkable capacity for long-term memory. The Rankin lab were the first to show that C. elegans display long-term memory for habituation, a non-associative form of learning where an animal learns to decrease responding to repeated stimulation. Remarkably, long-term memory for habituation in C. […] Read More
Neuron Specific Optogenetics
Optogenetics uses light to control neurons that have been genetically sensitized to light. Using this technique our lab is able to control the activity of individual neurons in living and freely-moving animals. Further, we recently developed a computer vision device called the Multi-worm tracker that allows us to analyze the effects of these and other genetic […] Read More

Welcome to the Rankin Lab! We were the first researchers to show that the genetic model organism C. elegans could learn and remember!

The focus of our lab is to understand how experience alters the nervous system. We use behavioural, neural circuit, and genetic analyses to understand basic principles about how experience alters the nervous system, and to better understand the role of genes in learning and memory. In addition to discovering mechanisms of experience dependent plasticity we hope to gain insights into the underpinnings of several neuropsychiatric disorders (i.e. Alzheimer Disease, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Parkinson’s Disease and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder).

Check out our research pages, publications, and lab member profiles to learn more!

Systematic phenomics analysis of autism-associated genes reveals parallel networks underlying reversible impairments in habituation

Dr. Rankin Receives Pavlovian Society’s Gantt Medal 2024

Read how Dr. Rankin discovered that C. elegans can learn

Habituation as an adaptive shift in response strategy mediated by neuropeptides

New review on automated behavioural analyses published in Genes, Brain and Behavior

Long-term memories in short-lived worms

Neuron Specific Optogenetics