A Perspective on Information Optimality in a Neural Circuit and Other Biological Systems

The nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans has a relatively simple neural system for analysis of information transmission from sensory organ to muscle fiber. Consequently, this study includes an example of a neural circuit from the nematode worm, and a procedure is shown for measuring its information optimality by use of a logic gate model. This approach is useful where the assumptions are applicable for a neural circuit, and also for choosing between competing mathematical hypotheses that explain the function of a neural circuit. In this latter case, the logic gate model can estimate computational complexity and distinguish which of the mathematical models require fewer computations. In addition, the concept of information optimality is generalized to other biological systems, along with an extended discussion of its role in genetic-based pathways of organisms.