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The emerging field of optogenetics allows for optical activation or inhibition of excitable cells. In 2005, optogenetic proteins were expressed in the nematode  Caenorhabditis elegans  for the first time. Since then,  C. elegans  has served as a powerful platform upon which to conduct optogenetic investigations of synaptic function, circuit dynamics and the neuronal basis of behaviour. The  C. elegans  nervous system, consisting of 302 neurons, whose connectivity and morphology has been mapped completely, drives a rich repertoire of behaviours that are quantifiable by video microscopy. This model organism's compact nervous system, quantifiable behaviour, genetic tractability and optical accessibility make it especially amenable to optogenetic interrogation. Channelrhodopsin‐2 (ChR2), halorhodopsin (NpHR/Halo) and other common optogenetic proteins have all been expressed in  C. elegans . Moreover, recent advances leveraging molecular genetics and patterned light illumination have now made it possible to target photoactivation and inhibition to single cells and to do so in worms as they behave freely. Here, we describe techniques and methods for optogenetic manipulation in  C. elegans . We review recent work using optogenetics and  C. elegans  for neuroscience investigations at the level of synapses, circuits and behaviour.

Optogenetic manipulation of neural activity in C. elegans : From synapse to circuits and behaviour