| Abstract: | Neurons participating in contraction of the ommatophore retractor ofHelix lucorum were studied by morphological and electrophysiological methods. Staining by the cobalt filling method revealed a giant cerebral ganglion neuron which sends a fiber into the motor branch of the ipsilateral optic nerve. Both spontaneous and evoked contraction of the retractor was shown to be preceded by a volley of action potentials in the giant neuron. The high-frequency volley of impulses evoked by intracellular stimulation of this neuron leads to contraction of the ipsilateral ommatophore retractor; the intensity of this contraction depends on the discharge frequency. The composition of the sensory inputs of the neuron is discussed. A conclusion is drawn on the motor function of this cerebral ganglion neuron in the escape reflex ofH. lucorum.Research Institute for Biological Testing of Chemical Compounds, Ministry of the Medical Industry, Staraya Kupavna, Moscow Province. Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Moscow. Translated from Neirofiziologiya, Vol. 14, No. 4, pp. 353–358, July–August, 1982. |
