The Effects of NAD+ on Planarian Worm Neural Regeneration
Faculty Mentor Information
Dr. Tom Pirtle, College of Idaho
Presentation Date
7-16-2026
Abstract
Planarian flatworms are widely used as a model system for studying regeneration. Because energy production is important for regenerative systems, and mitochondria are impacted by replenishment of NAD from NAD+, we hypothesize that NAD+ supplementation will increase the rate of neural regeneration and will accelerate the restoration of behavioral response to light in planarian worms. Three groups (n=10 worms per group) served as the subject of our study: a control group placed in Petri dishes containing spring water only and experimental groups placed in separate Petri dishes containing either 0.75mM or 1.5mM NAD+ (in spring water). The worms were transected just below the auricles with a scalpel to separate the head of the worm from its tail. Because our interest was in neural regeneration, we only tracked head regeneration of the tail pieces. We daily recorded an eye regeneration score (0-5) for each specimen and the time (seconds) it took to escape light simulation. Our data illustrate a trend of increased rate of eye score regeneration in the 0.75mM NAD+ group. While our results do not completely support our hypothesis, they do illustrate a relationship between supplemented NAD+ and increased rate of neural regeneration in planarian flatworms.
The Effects of NAD+ on Planarian Worm Neural Regeneration
Planarian flatworms are widely used as a model system for studying regeneration. Because energy production is important for regenerative systems, and mitochondria are impacted by replenishment of NAD from NAD+, we hypothesize that NAD+ supplementation will increase the rate of neural regeneration and will accelerate the restoration of behavioral response to light in planarian worms. Three groups (n=10 worms per group) served as the subject of our study: a control group placed in Petri dishes containing spring water only and experimental groups placed in separate Petri dishes containing either 0.75mM or 1.5mM NAD+ (in spring water). The worms were transected just below the auricles with a scalpel to separate the head of the worm from its tail. Because our interest was in neural regeneration, we only tracked head regeneration of the tail pieces. We daily recorded an eye regeneration score (0-5) for each specimen and the time (seconds) it took to escape light simulation. Our data illustrate a trend of increased rate of eye score regeneration in the 0.75mM NAD+ group. While our results do not completely support our hypothesis, they do illustrate a relationship between supplemented NAD+ and increased rate of neural regeneration in planarian flatworms.