Escape behaviour: reciprocal inhibition ensures effective escape trajectory.
When a zebrafish makes a fast escape response, Mauthner cells directly activate contralateral spinal interneurons which feed reciprocal inhibition to motorneurons on the stimulated side. Ablation of these interneurons in transgenic animals impairs escape responses, indicating their crucial role in survival.
Sillar
Keith T
KT
School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, UK. kts1@st-andrews.ac.uk
D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D002038:Bungarotoxins / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000633:toxicity; D018274:Electroporation; D004924:Escape Reaction / Q000502:physiology*; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D007395:Interneurons / Q000502:physiology*; D007814:Larva; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000187:drug effects; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology*; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D011930:Reaction Time; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D013550:Swimming / Q000502:physiology; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*
D002038:Bungarotoxins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins