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The Firefly Light Organ: A Model for a Trace Amine Synapse

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Trace Amines

Part of the book series: Experimental and Clinical Neuroscience ((ECN))

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Abstract

Evidence presented during the past 15 years, from this and other laboratories, strongly supports a role for octopamine as a neurotransmitter and neuromodulator in insects and other invertebrates (Lingle, Marder and Nathanson, 1982; Evans, 1984), Much evidence for octopamine’s function as a neurotransmitter has come from studies carried out with the firefly light organ, and it now appears that octopamine may be the major, if not the sole mediator of neural regulation of light emission in this species. As described below, studies of octopamine’s action in the firefly have relevance, not only to the control of light emission in the firefly, but also to a greater understanding of octopamine and octopamine receptor pharmacology in general.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 02114

    James A. Nathanson

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  1. James A. Nathanson
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

    A. A. Boulton  & A. V. Juorio  & 

  2. University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

    R. G. H. Downer

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© 1988 The Humana Press Inc.

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Nathanson, J.A. (1988). The Firefly Light Organ: A Model for a Trace Amine Synapse. In: Boulton, A.A., Juorio, A.V., Downer, R.G.H. (eds) Trace Amines. Experimental and Clinical Neuroscience. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4602-2_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4602-2_3

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-8945-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-4602-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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