Locomotion in the pulmonate snail Melampus--I. The motor pattern.
1. The patterned neural activity that drives muscular locomotor movements in Melampus is generated within the central nervous system. 2. In the transition from quiescent state to crawling, the pattern recorded in nerves and connectives changes from short-duration bursts in many units to the 60-100 sec cycle of events recorded during tethered crawling in the semi-intact snail. 3. Extracellularly recorded bursts and individually recognizable spikes in pedal nerves are correlated with movements that occur at each stage of the cyclically repeated crawl-steps. 4. Intracellularly recorded pedal neurons involved in locomotion receive excitatory drive, inhibitory drive, or alternating excitatory and inhibitory drive during the step cycle.
Moffett
S B
SB
Department of Zoology, Washington State University, Pullman 99164.
D000818:Animals; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005121:Extremities / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000294:innervation; D005724:Ganglia / Q000502:physiology; D008124:Locomotion / Q000502:physiology; D009424:Nervous System Physiological Phenomena; D012908:Snails / Q000502:physiology*