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The responses of central octavolateralis cells to moving sources

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Abstract

Mechanosensory lateral line units recorded from the medulla (medial octavolateralis nucleus) and midbrain (torus semicircularis) of the bottom dwelling catfish Ancistrus sp. responded to water movements caused by an object that passed the fish laterally. In terms of peak spike rate or total number of spikes elicited responses increased with object speed and sometimes showed saturation (Figs. 7, 14). At sequentially greater distances the responses of most medullary lateral line units decayed with object distance (Fig. 11). Units tuned to a certain object speed or distance were not found. The signed directionality index of most lateral line units was between −50 and +50, i.e. these units were not or only slightly sensitive to the direction of object motion (Figs. 10, 17). However, some units were highly directionally sensitive in that the main features of the response histograms and/or peak spike rates clearly depended on the direction of object movement (e.g. Fig. 9C, D and Fig. 16). Midbrain lateral line units of Ancistrus may receive input from more than one sensory modality. All bimodal lateral line units were OR units, i.e., the units were reliably driven by a unimodal stimulus of either modality. Units which receive bimodal input may show an extended speed range (e.g. Fig. 18).

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Abbreviations

MON :

medial octavolateralis nucleus

MSR :

mean spike rate

PSR :

peak spike rate

p-p :

peak-to-peak

SDI :

signed directionality index

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universität Bielefeld, Fakultät für Biologie, Lehrstuhl für Neurophysiologie, Postfach 100131, D-33501, Bielefeld, Germany

    H. M. Müller

  2. Zoologisches Institut der Universität Bonn Poppelsdorfer Schloß, D-53115, Bonn, Germany

    A. Fleck & H. Bleckmann

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  1. H. M. Müller
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  2. A. Fleck
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  3. H. Bleckmann
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Müller, H.M., Fleck, A. & Bleckmann, H. The responses of central octavolateralis cells to moving sources. J Comp Physiol A 179, 455–471 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00192313

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