Exploring the Prospect and Significance of Nematodes (Caenorhabditis elegans) as an Animal Model for Translational Neurobiology Research

The model organism Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) is a microscopic roundworm discovered in 1900, which is widely becoming an acceptable animal model of human diseases in the scientific community, particularly in neurobiology and genetic research. C. elegans is considered of great interest to neuroscientists for studying basic biological processes and understanding neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders because of its small size, fully sequenced genome, simple and transparent body structure, and short life span. This chapter highlights the use of C. elegans in modeling diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), alongside its contributions to neurodevelopmental and behavioral studies. Furthermore, advanced tools like CRISPR/Cas9 and RNA interference have augmented its utility, making it invaluable for therapeutic discovery and understanding gene-environment interactions. Challenges and future prospects are also presented hereon.