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Neural control of heartbeat during two antagonistic behaviors: whole body withdrawal and escape swimming in the Mollusk Clione limacina

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Abstract

Two cardioexcitatory and one cardioinhibitory neural groups have been previously identified as the central cardioregulatory system in the pteropod mollusk Clione limacina. We describe in this study one additional element of the central cardioregulatory system, which consists of a large intestinal neuron named Z-cell with a novel effect on the heart activity. Intracellular stimulation of the Z-cell induced only auricle contractions with no effect on the ventricle activity. The Z-cell processes were traced down to the heart, and vigorous branching was found in the auricle tissue. Specific patterns of activity of the Z-cell as well as intestinal heart excitatory and inhibitory neurons were studied during initiation of two behaviors—whole body withdrawal and escape swimming. It was found that initiation of both behaviors was accompanied by activation of Z-cell and intestinal heart excitor neurons. The firing rate of neurons induced by sensory stimuli was sufficient to trigger auricle contractions in the semi-intact preparations. Video analysis of heart activity revealed that auricle indeed was activated during both active and passive avoidance reactions, though the intensity and delay of the activation were different. The possible physiological role of the auricle contractions during antagonistic forms of behavior is discussed.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Russian Foundation for Basic Research Grant 06-04-48941 and National Science Foundation Grant IBN-0235107. The experiments reported here comply with the “Principles of animal care”, publication no. 86–23, revised 1985 of the National Institute of Health, and also with the current laws of Russia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

    Aleksey Y. Malyshev & Pavel M. Balaban

  2. School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Tigran P. Norekian

  3. Friday Harbor Laboratories, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Tigran P. Norekian

Authors
  1. Aleksey Y. Malyshev
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  2. Tigran P. Norekian
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  3. Pavel M. Balaban
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Correspondence to Aleksey Y. Malyshev.

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Malyshev, A.Y., Norekian, T.P. & Balaban, P.M. Neural control of heartbeat during two antagonistic behaviors: whole body withdrawal and escape swimming in the Mollusk Clione limacina . J Comp Physiol A 194, 899–906 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-008-0362-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-008-0362-y

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