Summary
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1.
Electric stimulation of the forewing stretch receptor nerve (SR-nerve, N1D2) during flight has an excitatory influence on ipsilateral depressor motor neurones (M97 and M99) and an inhibitory effect on an ipsilateral elevator motor neurone (M83). This agrees with intracellular results obtained by Burrows (1975). The effects of the stimuli depend strongly on their phase within the wing beat cycle (Figs. 2, 3, 4).
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2.
The action potentials evoked by the electric stimuli summate centrally because a stimulation burst of 4 pulses has a greater effect on the motor pattern than a burst of only 2 pulses (Fig. 5).
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3.
The influence of electric stimulation is independent of simultaneous steering maneuvers during which the co-ordination of flight motor neurones is altered (Figs. 7, 8, 9). Thus, the proprioceptive mechanisms do not seem to be under the control of hierarchically higher steering centres.
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4.
Electric stimuli given every wing beat period exhibit the existence of slowly summating pathways working over several seconds. These can be inhibitory (Fig. 11) as well as excitatory (Fig. 12b). There are also inputs, whose influence is independent of the phase with which they occur during the wing beat cycle (Fig. 10).
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5.
Including data from parts I and II, the role of proprioception for the co-ordination of the basic motor pattern and its changes during steering behaviour is discussed.
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Abbreviations
- CPG :
-
central pattern generator
- MVR :
-
meann value reference
- PSP :
-
postsynaptic potential
- SR :
-
stretch receptor
- TCG :
-
tritocerebral commissure giant
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Möhl, B. The role of proprioception in locust flight control. J. Comp. Physiol. 156, 281–291 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00610869
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00610869