Neural basis of wind-receptive fields of cockroach giant interneurons.
The pattern of connectivity between the nine most prominent columns of sensory hairs of one cercus and ipsilateral giant interneurons (GIs) 1 and 2 of the cockroach Periplaneta americana was studied using intracellular methods. GI 1, a somewhat directionally selective interneuron receives excitatory synaptic input from all hair columns of the ipsilateral cercus. GI 2, an omni-directional cell, also receives synaptic input from all ipsilateral hair columns. However, for 2 of the 9 columns of hairs the response in GI 2 is greater than in GI 1. This difference in response magnitude represents a real difference in the functional strength of connection and not the number of synapsing afferents since the response in both GI 1 and 2 declines stepwise as the number of hairs tested was reduced one-by-one. Thus, the difference in the shapes of the wind-receptive fields of GI 1 and 2 can be explained by differences in the functional strength of connection of certain identified afferents.
D000392:Air Movements; D000818:Animals; D003058:Cockroaches / Q000502:physiology*; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D007395:Interneurons / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008465:Mechanoreceptors / Q000502:physiology*; D009424:Nervous System Physiological Phenomena; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D010526:Periplaneta / Q000502:physiology*; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology; D014919:Wind