Sensorimotor integration regulates goal-directedmovements. We study the signaling mechanismsunderlying sensorimotor integration inC.elegansduring olfactory steering, when the sinusoidal move-ments of the worm generate an in-phase oscillation inthe concentration of the sampled odorant. We showthat cholinergic neurotransmission encodes theoscillatory sensory response and the motor state ofhead undulations by acting through an acetylcho-line-gated channel and a muscarinic acetylcholinereceptor, respectively. These signals convergeon two axonal domains of an interneuron RIA,where the sensory-evoked signal suppresses themotor-encoding signal to transform the spatial infor-mation of the odorant into the asymmetry betweenthe axonal activities. The asymmetric synaptic out-puts of the RIA axonal domains generate a direc-tional bias in the locomotory trajectory. Experiencealters the sensorimotor integration to generatespecific behavioral changes. Our study reveals howcholinergic neurotransmission, which can representsensory and motor information in the mammalianbrain, regulates sensorimotor integration duringgoal-directed locomotions.
