title: Local innervation patterns of the metathoracic flexor and extensor tibiae motor neurons in the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus.
abstract: To elucidate neural mechanisms underlying walking and jumping in insects, motor neurons supplying femoral muscles have been identified mainly in locusts and katydids, but not in crickets. In this study, the motor innervation patterns of the metathoracic flexor and extensor tibiae muscles in the cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus were investigated by differential back-fills and nerve recordings. Whereas the extensor tibiae muscle has an innervation pattern similar to that of other orthopterans, the flexor has an innervation unique to this species. The main body of the flexor muscle is divided into the proximal, middle and distal regions, which receive morphologically unique terminations from almost non-overlapping sets of motor neurons. The proximal region is innervated by about 12 moderate-sized excitatory motor neurons and two inhibitory neurons while the middle and distal regions are innervated by three and four large excitatory motor neurons, respectively. The most-distally located accessory flexor muscle, inserting on a common flexor apodeme with the main muscle, is innervated by at least four small excitatory (slow-type) and two common inhibitory motor neurons. The two excitatory and two inhibitory motor neurons that innervate the accessory flexor muscle also innervate the proximal bundles of the main flexor muscle. This suggests that the most proximal and distal parts of the flexor muscle participate synergistically in fine motor control while the rest participates in powerful drive of tibial flexion movement.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Neuro-Cybernetics, Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan. nishino@ncp8.es.hokudai.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nishino
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004594:Electrophysiology; D006135:Gryllidae / Q000502:physiology*; D006614:Hindlimb / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D009132:Muscles / Q000294:innervation*; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*