What question did this study set out to answer?

To characterize the physiological properties, sensory responses, and synaptic integration mechanisms of photoreceptor neurons in the crayfish abdominal nerve cord.

January 1, 1963The Journal of General PhysiologyOpen Access

Physiology of Photoreceptor Neurons in the Abdominal Nerve Cord of the Crayfish

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Authors

DKDonald KennedyTulane University

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Implication

Electrophysiological study reveals dual photoreceptive and mechanosensory integration in crayfish abdominal neurons, suggesting light-driven firing enhances peripheral inhibition detection.

Key Points

To characterize the physiological properties, sensory responses, and synaptic integration mechanisms of photoreceptor neurons in the crayfish abdominal nerve cord.
Isolated individual nerve fibers via microdissection from abdominal nerve cord connectives across multiple levels following localized illumination of the sixth abdominal ganglion.
Recorded intracellular and extracellular electrical activity to assess light-evoked graded depolarizations, spontaneous pacemaker rhythms, and responses to orthodromic and antidromic stimulation.
Stimulated ipsilateral and contralateral peripheral afferent nerves from tail appendages to map excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic inputs.
Identified a single primary photoreceptor neuron per connective that produces graded depolarization during light exposure and maintains an endogenous pacemaker rhythm of 5 to 15 impulses per second in the dark.
Demonstrated that antidromic and orthodromic impulses reset the pacemaker cycle, confirming the presence of an intrinsic pacemaker potential.
Found that cells act as secondary interneurons: ipsilateral afferents evoke short-latency excitatory postsynaptic potentials and delayed inhibition, whereas contralateral afferents evoke purely inhibitory responses against both spontaneous and evoked firing.

Cite This Study

Donald Kennedy (1963) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a93ffdd0ab6c6af028c0b8f https://doi.org/10.1085/jgp.46.3.551

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Implication

Electrophysiological study reveals dual photoreceptive and mechanosensory integration in crayfish abdominal neurons, suggesting light-driven firing enhances peripheral inhibition detection.

Physiology of Photoreceptor Neurons in the Abdominal Nerve Cord of the Crayfish

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

Physiology of Photoreceptor Neurons in the Abdominal Nerve Cord of the Crayfish

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

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