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Cerebral interneurons controlling fictive feeding in Limax maximus

I. Anatomy and criteria for re-identification

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Summary

We have used anatomical and electrophysiological techniques to locate and identify neurons in the CNS of Limax maximus which are important for the initiation and modulation of feeding behavior. We have identified a population of 14–18 neurons with somata in the cerebral ganglia (CG) which project to the buccal ganglia (BG) via the cerebral-buccal connectives (CBC). We describe electrophysiological criteria which permit reliable identification of 8 of these cerebral to buccal interneurons (CBs) in different preparations. All CBs are characterized anatomically by having extensive arborizations in the CG, a single axonal projection via the ipsilateral CBC to BG and extensive branching in one or both BG. Two major classes of CBs are distinguished, phasic and tonic, based on their activity patterns during fictive feeding. A small population of cerebral to cerebral interneurons with axonal projections to the contralateral CG via the subcerebral commissure (SCC) is described, together with the synaptic interactions between these subcerebral commissure cells (SCs) and the CBs. Axonal staining techniques were used to locate neurons with somata in the BG which project to CG. Anatomical and physiological evidence for direct connections between the lips and BG was obtained.

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Abbreviations

BG :

buccal ganglion

CB :

cerebral-buccal interneuron

CBC :

cerebral-buccal connectives

CG :

cerebral ganglion

CPG :

cerebral pattern generator

FMP :

feeding motor program

LY :

Lucifer yellow

MGC :

metacerebral giant cell

SC :

subcerebral commissure cell

SCC :

subcerebral commissure cell

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Author notes

  1. K. Delaney

    Present address: Department of Physiology and Biophysics, New York University Medical Center, 550 First Ave., 10016, New York, NY, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Princeton University, 08544, Princeton, NJ, USA

    K. Delaney

  2. Department of Molecular Biophysics, AT & T Bell Laboratories, 07974, Murray Hill, NJ, USA

    A. Gelperin

Authors
  1. K. Delaney
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  2. A. Gelperin
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Delaney, K., Gelperin, A. Cerebral interneurons controlling fictive feeding in Limax maximus . J Comp Physiol A 166, 297–310 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00204804

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