scholarly journals THE ELECTRICAL RESPONSE OF THE LATERAL LINE SYSTEM OF FISH TO TONE AND OTHER STIMULI

1950 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. E. Suckling ◽  
J. A. Suckling
Keyword(s):  
Spontaneous Activity ◽  
Lateral Line ◽  
Fundulus Heteroclitus ◽  
Electrical Response ◽  
Lateral Line System ◽  
Intensity Level ◽  
Tone Frequency ◽  
Line System ◽  
Lateral Line Nerve

1. The lateral line of Fundulus heteroclitus and Fundulus majalis is shown to react to tone at an intensity level of 20 dynes per sq. cm. at frequencies up to 200 or 300 cycles per second. 2. Evidence is given that the nerve can reproduce the stimulating tone frequency up to at least 180 cycles per second. 3. The response of the lateral line to the swimming movements of nearby fish is demonstrated. 4. Fundulus and several other species are shown to give strong spontaneous activity of the lateral line nerve.

scholarly journals QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF RESPONSES FROM LATERAL-LINE NERVES OF FISHES. II

1933 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 715-732 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hudson Hoagland
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Spontaneous Activity ◽  
Lateral Line ◽  
Nerve Impulse ◽  
Temperature Characteristic ◽  
Spontaneous Discharge ◽  
Lateral Line System ◽  
Sense Organs ◽  
Line System ◽  
Lateral Line Nerve

1. The lateral-line nerves of trout as well as those of catfish are found to discharge impulses spontaneously at a high frequency. 2. The frequency of nerve impulse discharge is measured as a function of the number of participating receptor groups (lateral-line sense organs). A quantitative analysis is made of the contribution to the total response made by each group of sense organs. 3. An analysis of the variability of the response is presented which makes it possible to estimate quantitatively the longitudinal extent of damage to the neuromasts due to surgical manipulation. 4. A method is described for recording the response of a single nerve fiber in the lateral-line trunk. 5. The frequency of the spontaneous discharge from the lateral-line nerve trunk when plotted as a function of temperature according to the Arrhenius equation yields a temperature characteristic of approximately 5000 calories. 6. The variability of the frequency of response as a function of temperature indicates the existence of temperature thresholds for the spontaneous activity of the neuromasts. 7. A possible basis for the spontaneous activity is considered. It is pointed out that the lateral-line system may serve as a model of the Purkinje cells of the cerebellum.

Frequency Response Properties of Lateral Line Superficial Neuromasts in a Vocal Fish, With Evidence for Acoustic Sensitivity

2002 ◽  
Vol 88 (3) ◽  
pp. 1252-1262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew S. Weeg ◽  
Andrew H. Bass
Keyword(s):  
Frequency Response ◽  
Lateral Line ◽  
Sensory System ◽  
Spike Rate ◽  
Pass Band ◽  
Lateral Line System ◽  
Line System ◽  
Response Properties ◽  
Lateral Line Nerve ◽  
Direct Demonstration

The mechanosensory lateral line of fish is a hair cell based sensory system that detects water motion using canal and superficial neuromasts. The trunk lateral line of the plainfin midshipman fish, Porichthys notatus, only has superficial neuromasts. The posterior lateral line nerve (PLLn) therefore innervates trunk superficial neuromasts exclusively and provides the opportunity to investigate the physiological responses of these receptors without the confounding influence of canal organs. We recorded single-unit activity from PLLn primary afferents in response to a vibrating sphere stimulus calibrated to produce an equal velocity across frequencies. Threshold tuning, isovelocity, and input/output curves were constructed using spike rate and vector strength, a measure of phase locking of spike times to the stimulus waveform. All units responded maximally to frequencies of 20–50 Hz. Units were classified as low-pass, band-pass, broadly tuned, or complex based on the shapes of tuning and isovelocity curves between 20 and 100 Hz. A 100 Hz stimulus caused an increase in spike rate in almost 50%, and significant synchronization in >80%, of all units. Midshipman vocalizations contain significant energy at and below 100 Hz, so these results demonstrate that the midshipman peripheral lateral line system can encode these acoustic signals. These results provide the first direct demonstration that units innervating superficial neuromasts in a teleost fish have heterogeneous frequency response properties, including an upper range of sensitivity that overlaps spectral peaks of behaviorally relevant acoustic stimuli.

scholarly journals Initiation of locomotion by lateral line photoreceptors in lamprey: behavioural and neurophysiological studies

1995 ◽  
Vol 198 (12) ◽  
pp. 2581-2591 ◽  
Author(s):  
T G Deliagina ◽  
F Ullén ◽  
M-J. Gonzalez ◽  
H Ehrsson ◽  
G N Orlovsky ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lateral Line ◽  
The Body ◽  
Lateral Line System ◽  
Tail Region ◽  
Directional Bias ◽  
Line System ◽  
Lateral Line Nerve ◽  
Neurophysiological Studies ◽  
Behavioural Experiments ◽  
The Right

The lateral line system of lampreys includes photoreceptors distributed in the skin of the tail region. These are innervated by the trunk lateral line nerves, and the afferents terminate bilaterally in the medial octavolateral nucleus, crossing the midline through the cerebellar commissure. Stimulation of the dermal photoreceptors by tail illumination initiates locomotion. The present study was performed to characterize the response to illumination in larval and adult lampreys in detail and to elucidate the neuronal pathways responsible for the activation of locomotion. In both larval and adult quiescent lampreys, the response to unilateral illumination of the tail was found to consist of an initial turn followed by rectilinear swimming. The sign and magnitude of the turning angle were not correlated with the laterality of the optic stimulus. In mechanically restrained lampreys, spinalized at the level of segments 15­20, tail illumination evoked a complex motor response in the rostral part of the body, with switches between different patterns of coordination (turns in different directions, locomotion, and turns combined with locomotion). Thus, the response to tail illumination is not a simple reflex, but includes a behavioural choice. Reticulospinal neurones play a crucial role in the initiation of locomotion in lampreys. The response to unilateral tail illumination in rhombencephalic reticular cells was studied with extracellular single-unit recordings. It was found that neurones in the middle and posterior rhombencephalic reticular nuclei were activated bilaterally. Tonic activity or slow bursts (<0.5 Hz) were evoked, in some cases lasting up to 60 s after the stimulation. The response remained bilateral after transection of one lateral line nerve and the cerebellar commissure. Afferents from one side can thus activate reticulospinal cells on both sides through a pathway outside the cerebellar commissure. This bilateral activation of reticulospinal neurones is presumably responsible for the activation of spinal locomotor networks, without any directional bias to the left or the right side, and for the rectilinear swimming observed in behavioural experiments. In the caudal part of the termination area of the lateral line nerve afferents, neurones with contralateral projections were retrogradely stained with horseradish peroxidase. These neurones appear to be likely candidates for mediating the contralateral effects of the lateral line fibres.

scholarly journals Using light-sheet microscopy to study spontaneous activity in the developing lateral-line system

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiuxiang Zhang ◽  
Katie Kindt
Keyword(s):  
Spontaneous Activity ◽  
Lateral Line ◽  
Hair Cells ◽  
Light Sheet ◽  
Lateral Line System ◽  
Supporting Cells ◽  
Line System ◽  
Calcium Activity ◽  
Light Sheet Microscopy ◽  
Calcium Indicators

Hair cells are the sensory receptors in the auditory and vestibular systems of all vertebrates, and in the lateral-line system of aquatic vertebrates. During development, spontaneous activity in hair cells shapes the formation of these sensory systems. In auditory hair cells of mice, coordinated waves of spontaneous activity can be triggered by concomitant activity in nearby supporting cells. But in mammals, developing auditory and vestibular hair cells can also autonomously generate spontaneous events independent of supporting cell activity. To date, significant progress has been made studying spontaneous activity in the auditory and vestibular systems of mammals, in isolated cultures. The purpose of this work is to explore the zebrafish lateral-line system as a model to study and understand spontaneous activity in vivo. Our work applies genetically encoded calcium indicators along with light-sheet fluorescence microscopy to visualize spontaneous calcium activity in the developing lateral-line system. Consistent with our previous work, we show that spontaneous calcium activity is present in developing lateral-line hair cells. We now show that supporting cells that surround hair cells, and cholinergic efferent terminals that directly contact hair cells are also spontaneously active. Using two-color functional imaging we demonstrate that spontaneous activity in hair cells does not correlate with activity in either supporting cells or cholinergic terminals. We find that during lateral-line development, hair cells autonomously generate spontaneous events. Using localized calcium indicators, we show that within hair cells, spontaneous calcium activity occurs in two distinct domains-the mechanosensory bundle and the presynapse. Further, spontaneous activity in the mechanosensory bundle ultimately drives spontaneous calcium influx at the presynapse. Comprehensively, our results indicate that in developing lateral-line hair cells, autonomously generated spontaneous activity originates with spontaneous mechanosensory events. Overall, with robust spontaneous activity three different cell types, the developing lateral line is a rich model to study these activities in an intact sensory organ. Future work studying this model may further our understanding of these activities and their role in sensory system formation, function and regeneration.

Hindbrain signal processing in the lateral line system of the dwarf scorpionfish Scopeana papillosus

1996 ◽  
Vol 199 (4) ◽  
pp. 893-899 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Montgomery ◽  
D Bodznick ◽  
M Halstead
Keyword(s):  
Signal Processing ◽  
Spontaneous Activity ◽  
Lateral Line ◽  
Primary Afferents ◽  
Lateral Line System ◽  
Strong Suppression ◽  
Primary Afferent ◽  
Line System ◽  
Response Characteristics ◽  
Tonic Response

Recordings were made from primary afferent fibres and secondary projection neurones (crest cells) in the mechanosensory lateral line system of the dwarf scorpionfish. Crest cells were identified by antidromic stimulation from the contralateral midbrain. Differences between primary afferent fibre and crest cell response characteristics are indicative of signal processing by the neuronal circuitry of the medial octavolateralis nucleus. There are a number of differences between primary afferent fibres and crest cells. Primary afferents have relatively high levels of spontaneous activity (mean close to 40 impulses s-1) and many of them are strongly modulated by ventilation. By contrast, crest cells have a much lower rate of spontaneous activity that is not obviously modulated by ventilation. Primary afferents show a simple tonic response to a maintained stimulus, whereas crest cells show a variety of temporal response properties, but in general show a phasic/tonic response to the same prolonged stimulus. Afferents are most sensitive to frequencies of stimulation around 100 Hz; in contrast, crest cells show a strong suppression of activity at this frequency. Crest cells are most responsive around 50 Hz. These afferent/secondary comparisons show similarities with those reported for allied electrosensory and auditory pathways.

scholarly journals ELECTRICAL RESPONSES FROM THE LATERAL-LINE NERVES OF FISHES

1934 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hudson Hoagland
Keyword(s):  
Lateral Line ◽  
Spontaneous Discharge ◽  
Lateral Line System ◽  
Tonic Activity ◽  
Inhibitory Effects ◽  
Line System ◽  
Lateral Line Nerve ◽  
Auditory Responses ◽  
The Central Nervous System

Records of spontaneous discharge of nerve impulses, similar to that previously described in catfish and in trout, have been obtained from lateral-line nerves of goldfish and perch, by the use of concentric micro electrodes slipped under the nerve in situ. These impulses have been followed into the central nervous system. They enter the tuberculum acusticum and thence apparently spread diffusely through the cerebellum. Cutting the lateral-line nerve on one side silences the ipsilateral tuberculum acusticum, but only reduces the intensity of ipsilateral cerebellar activity. Cutting the remaining lateral-line nerve silences activity throughout the tuberculum acusticum and the cerebellum. The maintenance of tonic activity in the tuberculum acusticum by way of lateral-line discharge may account for the inhibitory effects of the lateral-line system on auditory responses.

scholarly journals The Effect of Efferent Stimulation on the Phase and Amplitude of Extracellular Receptor Potentials in the Lateral Line System of the Perch (Perca Fluviatius)

1983 ◽  
Vol 102 (1) ◽  
pp. 223-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. J. RUSSELL ◽  
D. A. LOWE
Keyword(s):  
Lateral Line ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Receptor Potential ◽  
Mechanical Stimulus ◽  
Lateral Line System ◽  
Phase Lag ◽  
Low Frequencies ◽  
Line System ◽  
Lateral Line Nerve ◽  
Centre Frequency

1. Microphonic and summating potentials were recorded extracellularly from lateral line organs in the suborbital canal of the perch in response to sinusoidal movements of canal fluid. 2. These potentials were changed in amplitude, shape and phase, relative to the mechanical stimulus, by electrical stimulation of efferent fibres in the lateral line nerve. 3. The receptor potential amplitude/stimulus intensity relationships for the microphonic and summating potentials saturated at high levels of stimulation, and at progressively lower amplitudes with increasing frequencies of mechanical stimulation. Efferent stimulation tended to reduce this rate of saturation. 4. Amplitude versus frequency relationships plotted at different stimulus intensities for the microphonic potential showed that the lateral line organs were most sensitive to frequencies between 35–65 Hz (centre frequency), and at these frequencies efferent stimulation caused the greatest increase in amplitude. 5. Analysis of the second order and third order harmonic components of the microphonic showed that these were reduced by efferent stimulation and that the strongest reduction occurred at the centre frequency. 6. The phase of the receptor potential led that of the mechanical stimulus at very low frequencies by nearly 90°. This changed to zero phase at the centre frequency and to a phase lag at higher frequencies. Efferent stimulation caused no change in phase of the microphonic relative to the control state at the centre frequency, but caused a progressive phase lead and lag as the frequency was decreased and increased respectively about the centre frequency. 7. In the linear response range, the lateral line organs responded as critically damped low frequency resonators to the velocity of the stimulus. Efferent stimulation appeared to alter the damping of this resonance. The possibility is discussed that efferent stimulation can alter the mechanical properties of the lateral line hair cells.

Peripheral encoding of moving sources by the lateral line system of a sit-and-wait predator

1998 ◽  
Vol 201 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
J C Montgomery ◽  
S Coombs
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Gradient ◽  
Lateral Line ◽  
Prey Capture ◽  
Neural Response ◽  
Electrophysiological Recording ◽  
Video Tape ◽  
Lateral Line System ◽  
Response Patterns ◽  
Line System ◽  
Lateral Line Nerve

Video-tape recordings of prey-capture behaviour were made to demonstrate that stargazers can detect and capture prey in the dark and to determine the range of prey movement velocities that resulted in prey capture. Electrophysiological recording techniques were then used to determine how an artificial source (a sphere), moving at speeds within the range of recorded prey movement velocities, was encoded by anterior lateral line nerve fibres innervating the preopercular-mandibular canals on the head. A vibrating sphere was also used to measure frequency-response characteristics to determine the bandwidth of response and fibre origin (type of neuromast and location). In order to measure the relevant stimulus parameters likely to govern neural responses, the pressure-gradient pattern produced by the moving sphere was characterised with a pair of miniature hydrophones separated by approximately the same distance as head lateral line canal pores on stargazers. At least four different features of neural response patterns, including direction-dependent changes in the overall envelope of the firing rate pattern, could be predicted on the basis of measured pressure-gradient patterns. The dominant features of both the pressure-gradient and neural response patterns were produced by the wake behind the moving sphere, but behavioural observations indicated that stargazers were responding to the bow of an approaching prey, rather than its wake. Although the form of the wake behind the moving sphere is unlikely to be a good match for the stimulus mediating prey detection, these results clearly establish that pressure-gradient patterns are good predictors of neural response patterns. Thus, similar measurements of pressure-gradient patterns produced by more biologically relevant sources can be used to predict peripheral lateral line responses and stimulus features likely to be of key importance.

Lateral-line activity during undulatory body motions suggests a feedback link in closed-loop control of sea lamprey swimming

2009 ◽  
Vol 87 (8) ◽  
pp. 671-683 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Ayali ◽  
S. Gelman ◽  
E. D. Tytell ◽  
A. H. Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Lateral Line ◽  
Closed Loop ◽  
Aquatic Organisms ◽  
Lateral Line System ◽  
Closed Loop Control ◽  
Rhythmic Movements ◽  
Inhibitory System ◽  
Line System ◽  
Loop Control ◽  
Lateral Line Nerve

The lateral-line system is common to most aquatic organisms. It plays an important role in behaviours involving detection of other animals and obstacles. In gnathostome fishes, these behaviours appear to be dependent on an efferent inhibitory system that filters out stimuli caused by the animal’s own movement. Sea lampreys ( Petromyzon marinus L., 1758), the most basal extant vertebrate, possess a functional lateral-line system. Yet they completely lack the inhibitory efferent system. Thus, they may use the lateral line to sense their own swimming movements, helping to stabilize swimming. To test this hypothesis, we first investigated the kinematics of free-swimming lampreys. In an intact tethered preparation, we then generated undualatory body motions of comparable amplitude and frequency to swimming, while monitoring the evoked responses of the posterior lateral-line nerve. Last, we tested the effect of eliminating lateral-line inputs by cobalt treatment. In the tethered preparation, we recorded distinctive and consistent activity in the lateral-line nerve that was strongly dependent on characteristics of the motion. We found that distinct characteristics of the rhythmic movements are encoded in the temporal characteristics of the response. Swimming kinematics of cobalt-treated animals differed from controls, suggesting a complex, yet necessary role of the lateral-line system in closed-loop control of swimming.

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