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The neural basis of catalepsy in the stick insect cuniculina impigra

1. Catalepsy as a characteristic of the femur-tibia control system

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Abstract

Catalepsy in the femur-tibia joint can be characterized as follows: When the joint is passively bent and then released, the joint first extends rapidly by 10°–30° and then returns to its starting position with extremely low speed.

Catalepsy is a characteristic of the femur-tibia control system. This system is quantitatively described in the open-loop configuration (input: stimulation of the femoral chordotonal organ; output: movement of the tibia). The output shows a predominant dynamic portion which only responds to movement and a weak static portion which responds to position. The dynamic portion can be described by a high-pass and a low-pass filter in series. The time constant of the high-pass filter in series. The time constant of the high-pass filter depends on input slope. The system possesses a large phase reserve and is therefore very stable in the closed loop configuration.

The results confirm the hypothesis that the high gain of the phasmid control system evolved only under a selection pressure towards catalepsy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fachbereich Biologie der Universität, Kaiserslautern, Germany

    Ulrich Bässler & Eva Foth

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  1. Ulrich Bässler
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  2. Eva Foth
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Supported by DFG Ba 578

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Bässler, U., Foth, E. The neural basis of catalepsy in the stick insect cuniculina impigra. Biol. Cybern. 45, 101–105 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00335236

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00335236

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