title: Cerebral-buccal pathways in Aplysia californica: synaptic connections, cooperative interneuronal effects and feedback during buccal motor programs.
abstract: Ingestion of seaweed by Aplysia is in part mediated by cerebral-buccal interneurons that drive rhythmic motor output from the buccal ganglia and in some cases cerebral-buccal interneurons act as members of the feeding central pattern generator. Here we document cooperative interactions between cerebral-buccal interneuron 2 and cerebral-buccal interneuron 12, characterize synaptic input to cerebral-buccal interneuron 2 and cerebral-buccal interneuron 12 from buccal peripheral nerve 2,3, describe a synaptic connection between cerebral-buccal interneuron 1 and buccal neuron B34, further characterize connections made by cerebral-buccal interneurons 2 and -12 with B34 and B61/62, and describe a novel, inhibitory connection made by cerebral-buccal interneuron 2 with a buccal neuron. When cerebral-buccal interneurons 2 and 12 were driven synchronously at low frequencies, ingestion-like buccal motor programs were elicited, and if either was driven alone, indirect synaptic input was recruited in the other cerebral-buccal interneuron. Stimulation of BN2,3 recruited both ingestion and rejection-like motor programs without firing in cerebral-buccal interneurons 2 or 12. During motor programs elicited by cerebral-buccal interneurons 2 or 12, high-voltage stimulation of BN2,3 inhibited firing in both cerebral-buccal interneurons. Our results suggest that cerebral-buccal interneurons 2 and 12 use cooperative interactions to modulate buccal motor programs, yet firing in cerebral-buccal interneurons 2 or 12 is not necessary for recruiting motor programs by buccal peripheral nerve BN2,3, even in preparations with intact cerebral-buccal pathways.
authors.affiliation: Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia, 65211, USA.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Kirk
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001048:Aplysia; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D017952:Ganglia, Invertebrate / Q000502:physiology*; D007395:Interneurons / Q000502:physiology; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology*; D017933:Peripheral Nervous System / Q000502:physiology; D013569:Synapses