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Morphology and function of the photoexcitable neurones in the central ganglia ofOnchidium verruculatum

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Summary

  1. 1.

    The morphology and function of the photoexcitable neurones located within the central nervous system (CNS) of the marine pulmonate mollusc,Onchidium verruculatum were investigated.

  2. 2.

    Intracellular cobalt injection visualized the geometry of axonal branches of the photoexcitable neurones, Ep-2, Ep-3 and Es-1. Ep-2 in the right pleuro-parietal ganglion sends its branches into right and left pleuro-parietal nerves, right pedal nerves and abdominal nerve 1. The branches in the right pleuro-parietal nerves were larger than those in the left pleuro-parietal nerve, the right pedal nerves and the abdominal nerve 1. The branching pattern of Ep-3 in the left pleuro-parietal ganglion was almost the mirror image of that of Ep-2. Es-1 in the abdominal ganglion sends its branches of equal sizes into the left and right pleuro-parietal nerves and the abdominal nerve 1.

  3. 3.

    The axon pathways described above were confirmed by electrophysiological analyses. It was also suggested that the impulses initiated in the smaller branches of Ep-2 and Ep-3 did not invade into the larger branches.

  4. 4.

    The interaction among the synaptic inputs to Ep-2, Ep-3 and Es-1 from various nerves converging to the ganglion complex was investigated by simultaneous intracellular recordings in any two of three neurones following orthodromic stimulation. The presence of the common input to Ep-2 and Ep-3 was also shown by simultaneous recordings.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan

    Tsukasa Gotow

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  1. Tsukasa Gotow
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This work was submitted as a part of doctoral dissertation at the University of Kyushu, Fukuoka. Special thanks are due to Dr. H. Tateda, and Dr. M. Kuwabara for their advice and valuable criticism. I also thank Dr. T. Tomita for his helpful suggestion in preparing the manuscript.

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Gotow, T. Morphology and function of the photoexcitable neurones in the central ganglia ofOnchidium verruculatum . J. Comp. Physiol. 99, 139–152 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00618180

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00618180

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