Summary
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1.
The somata of first-order tactile sensory neurons in the surf clam are located in the central nervous system.
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2.
Some of these neurons show extensive bilateral branching, and the cell bodies may be multipolar structures.
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3.
The peripheral receptive fields of the tactile sensory neurons can be either limited to a unique region or may consist of several discrete regions on either side of the animal.
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4.
Central interaction amoung the different sensory neurons occurs and seems to include a weak electrical coupling as well as inhibitory feedback. In some cases the latter is sufficiently strong to prevent the invasion of a cell body by an orthodromic impulse.
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Supported by Research Grant NS 04989 from the United States Public Health Service.
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Mellon, D. Electrophysiology of touch sensitive neurons in a mollusc. J. Comp. Physiol. 79, 63–78 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00693618
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00693618