THE NEURAL CONTROL OF EGG-LAYING BEHAVIOUR IN THE POND SNAIL LYMNAEA STAGNALIS: MOTOR CONTROL OF SHELL TURNING

1994 ◽  
Vol 197 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-99
Author(s):  
P Hermann ◽  
A Maat ◽  
R Jansen
Keyword(s):  
Neural Control ◽  
Lymnaea Stagnalis ◽  
Longitudinal Muscle ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Neuroendocrine Cells ◽  
Pond Snail ◽  
Motor Neurones ◽  
Turning Behaviour ◽  
Behavioural Experiments ◽  
The Right

Behavioural and neurophysiological techniques were used to study the neuronal control of shell turning during egg-laying in the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis. Egg-laying consists of three phases: resting, turning and oviposition, and is triggered by an electrical discharge in a group of neuroendocrine cells, the caudodorsal cells. During the discharge, several peptides encoded on two CDCH genes are known to be released. Behavioural experiments in which different combinations of nerves were lesioned indicated that the inferior cervical nerves are necessary for turning behaviour to occur. The right inferior cervical nerve innervates the right dorsal longitudinal muscle and contains axons of neurones that are active just prior to, and during, shell movements in freely behaving animals. These axons are probably the axons of motor neurones. The motor neurones of the dorsal longitudinal muscle were identified in the cerebral A and pedal N clusters. We have demonstrated that there is a correlation between the state of excitability of the caudodorsal cells and the electrical activity of the pedal N motor neurones. Our results indicate that the pedal N motor neurones are involved in executing the turning phase during egg-laying.

NEURONAL FEEDBACK IN EGG-LAYING BEHAVIOUR OF THE POND SNAIL LYMNAEA STAGNALIS

1993 ◽  
Vol 178 (1) ◽  
pp. 251-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. P. Ferguson ◽  
A. W. Pieneman ◽  
R. F. Jansen ◽  
A. Ter Maat
Keyword(s):  
Lymnaea Stagnalis ◽  
Aplysia Californica ◽  
Experimental System ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Neuroendocrine Cells ◽  
Behaviour Pattern ◽  
Pond Snail ◽  
Egg Laying Behaviour

The egg-laying behaviour of gastropod molluscs is controlled by peptidergic neuroendocrine cells and has provided an important experimental system for behavioural neurobiology. The genes that code for multiple peptides have been sequenced and the peptides themselves have been identified, thus enabling us to investigate how they act on the nervous system to produce the overt behavioural pattern (reviewed by Geraerts et al. 1988). The two animals that have been studied most extensively are the opisthobranch Aplysia californica and the pulmonate Lymnaea stagnalis. In both cases, the peptidergic neurones controlling egg laying are normally electrically silent (both in vivo and in vitro; Kupfermann, 1967; Pinsker and Dudek, 1977; Kits, 1980; Ter Maat et al. 1986) and produce multiple peptides (Rothman et al. 1983; Geraerts et al. 1985; Sigvardt et al. 1986), which are cleaved from a common protein precursor (Scheller et al. 1983; Vreugdenhil et al. 1988). Before egg laying, the cells produce a long-lasting discharge of action potentials (Pinsker and Dudek, 1977; Ter Maat et al. 1986). This electrical discharge initiates egg-laying behaviour, and during it the peptides (one of which initiates ovulation) are released into the blood. The demonstration, in Aplysia californica, that these peptides could have various effects on the activity of central neurones (reviewed by Mayeri and Rothman, 1985) led to the hypothesis that egg-laying behaviour is a neuroendocrine fixed action pattern controlled and coordinated by the concerted actions of the released peptides (Scheller and Axel, 1984). This hypothesis is also thought to apply to Lymnaea stagnalis (Vreugdenhil et al. 1988) because of the structural similarities between precursors of Aplysia californica and Lymnaea stagnalis egg-laying hormones. In this paper we investigate how the sequence of the various components of the egg-laying behaviour pattern is achieved.

Nervous control of male sexual drive in the hermaphroditic snail

1997 ◽  
Vol 200 (5) ◽  
pp. 941-951 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Boer ◽  
R Jansen ◽  
J Koene ◽  
A Maat
Keyword(s):  
Social Isolation ◽  
Firing Pattern ◽  
Lymnaea Stagnalis ◽  
Prostate Gland ◽  
Pond Snail ◽  
Nervous Control ◽  
Sexual Drive ◽  
Motivational Model ◽  
Behavioural Experiments

We studied the role of the prostate gland in determining the level of male sexual drive in the hermaphroditic pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis. Male sexual drive is high after a period of social isolation and decreases after copulation as a male. A positive correlation exists between the level of male sexual drive and the volume of the prostate gland. Like male sexual drive, the volume of the prostate gland increases during a period of social isolation and decreases after copulation as a male. Behavioural experiments demonstrated that animals with a lesion of the nerve that innervates the prostate gland (NP1) have a lower level of male sexual drive after social isolation than control animals. However, lesion of NP1 did not affect the increase in the volume of the prostate gland caused by social isolation. Extracellular recordings from NP1 in a semi-intact preparation show a change in firing pattern during an experimentally induced increase in prostate gland volume. The results indicate that NP1 serves as a nervous pathway for the male sexual drive. We propose a simple motivational model for male sexual behaviour in L. stagnalis in which the volume of the prostate gland sets the level of male sexual drive.

Effects of 2,2′-dichlorobiphenyl on egg laying in the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis

1992 ◽  
Vol 102 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Wilbrink ◽  
R. Zul ◽  
E.W. Roubos ◽  
A. ter Maat ◽  
T.A. de Vlieger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lymnaea Stagnalis ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Pond Snail

Spontaneous and induced egg laying behavior of the pond snail,Lymnaea stagnalis

1989 ◽  
Vol 164 (5) ◽  
pp. 673-683 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andries Ter Maat ◽  
Anton W. Pieneman ◽  
Jan Tijmen Goldschmeding ◽  
Willem F. E. Smelik ◽  
Graham P. Ferguson
Keyword(s):  
Lymnaea Stagnalis ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Pond Snail

scholarly journals A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ANAESTHETIC AGENTS ON HIGH VOLTAGE ACTIVATED CALCIUM CHANNEL CURRENTS IN IDENTIFIED MOLLUSCAN NEURONS

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terrence J. Morris ◽  
Philip M. Hopkins ◽  
William Winlow
Keyword(s):  
High Voltage ◽  
Lymnaea Stagnalis ◽  
Pond Snail ◽  
Molluscan Neurons ◽  
List Type ◽  
Volatile Anaesthetics ◽  
Anaesthetic Agents ◽  
Light Yellow ◽  
Regression Slopes ◽  
The Right

SUMMARYUsing the two electrode voltage clamp configuration, a high voltage activated whole-cell Ca2+ channel current (IBa) was recorded from a cluster of neurosecretory ‘Light Yellow’ Cells (LYC) in the right parietal ganglion of the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis.Recordings of IBa from LYCs show a reversible concentration-dependent depression of current amplitude in the presence of the volatile anaesthetics halothane, isoflurane and sevoflurane, or the non-volatile anaesthetic pentobarbitone at clinical concentrations.In the presence of the anaesthetics investigated, IBa measured at the end of the depolarizing test pulse showed proportionally greater depression than that at measured peak amplitude, as well as significant decrease in the rate of activation or increase in inactivation or both.Within the range of concentrations used, the concentration-response plots for all the anaesthetics investigated correlate strongly to straight line functions, with linear regression R2 values > 0.99 in all instances.For volatile anaesthetics, the dose-response regression slopes for IBa increase in magnitude, in order of gradient: sevoflurane, isoflurane and halothane, a sequence which reflects their order of clinical potency in terms of MAC value.

scholarly journals Detection of mRNA molecules coding for neuropeptide hormones of the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis by radioactive and non-radioactive in situ hybridization: a model study for mRNA detection.

1989 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
R W Dirks ◽  
A K Raap ◽  
J Van Minnen ◽  
E Vreugdenhil ◽  
A B Smit ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
In Situ Hybridization ◽  
Lymnaea Stagnalis ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Pond Snail ◽  
Specific Staining ◽  
Mrna Detection ◽  
Model Study ◽  
Pre Treatment ◽  
Hybridization Protocol

To develop and optimize non-radioactive in situ hybridization techniques for mRNA detection, we used the neuropeptidergic system of the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis as a biological model system. First, we investigated the in situ hybridization procedure using radioactive-labeled cDNA and synthetic oligonucleotide probes specific for egg-laying hormone (ELH) mRNA and molluscan insulin-like peptide (MIP) mRNA. The results show an intense grain deposit above the caudodorsal cells and light-green cells expressing, respectively, ELH mRNA and MIP mRNA. Good results with relation to signal strength and tissue morphology were obtained with freeze-dry paraformaldehyde vapor fixation. The necessity to perform tissue pre-treatment appeared to be dependent on the cell type of interest. The optimized in situ hybridization protocol proved to be applicable using probes that are either sulfonated/transaminated or labeled with acetylaminofluorene (AAF). In situ hybridization of such haptenized probes led to intense and specific staining of the cytoplasm of the caudodorsal cells. Egg-laying hormone mRNA appeared not to be homogeneously distributed in the cytoplasm but showed a "patch-like" pattern. Nuclear and axoplasmic staining for mRNA was also observed.

scholarly journals Functional characterization and related evolutionary implications of invertebrate gonadotropin-releasing hormone/corazonin in a well-established model species

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
István Fodor ◽  
Réka Svigruha ◽  
Zsolt Bozsó ◽  
Gábor K. Tóth ◽  
Tomohiro Osugi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lymnaea Stagnalis ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Pond Snail ◽  
Model Species ◽  
Releasing Hormone ◽  
Active Peptide

AbstractIn vertebrates, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) peptide is the central mediator of reproduction. Homologous peptides have previously also been identified in molluscan species. However, emerging evidence suggests that these molecules might serve diverse regulatory functions and proposes to consider them as corazonin (CRZ). We previously isolated the full-length cDNA of the invGnRH/CRZ peptide (termed ly-GnRH/CRZ) in the well-established invertebrate model species, the great pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis; however, its predicted functions remain to be verified. In this study, we first confirmed the presence of the deduced active peptide from the central nervous system of L. stagnalis. Further, we performed in vivo and in vitro studies to explore the functions of ly-GnRH/CRZ. Injection of sexually mature specimens with synthetic active peptide had an inhibitory effect on locomotion and an acceleratory effect on egg-laying, but had no effect on feeding. The previously predicted modulatory effect of ly-GnRH/CRZ was supported by its identified co-localization with serotonin on the surface of the heart atria. Lastly, we demonstrated not only the presence of ly-GnRH/CRZ in the penial complex but also that ly-GnRH/CRZ-containing neurons project to the efferent penis nerve, suggesting ly-GnRH/CRZ may directly modulate the motor output of this peripheral tissue. Overall, our findings strongly support that ly-GnRH/CRZ is a multifunctional neuropeptide. These results contribute to the understanding of the GnRH superfamily and, more broadly, disciplines such as comparative endocrinology and neurobiology.

Interactions of the slow oscillator interneuron with feeding pattern-generating interneurons in Lymnaea stagnalis

1985 ◽  
Vol 54 (6) ◽  
pp. 1412-1421 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. J. Elliott ◽  
P. R. Benjamin
Keyword(s):  
Motor System ◽  
Lymnaea Stagnalis ◽  
Pond Snail ◽  
Excitatory Synapses ◽  
Feeding System ◽  
Buccal Ganglion ◽  
Buccal Ganglia ◽  
Feeding Rhythm ◽  
The Right ◽  
Stimulation Of

We have used intracellular recording from groups of interneurons in the feeding system of the pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis, to examine the connections of a modulatory interneuron, the slow oscillator (SO), with the network of pattern-generating interneurons (N1, N2, and N3). The SO is an interneuron whose axon branches solely within the buccal ganglia. There is only one such cell in each snail. In half the snails the cell body is in the right buccal ganglion and in the other half in the left buccal ganglion. Stimulation of either the SO or one of the N1 pattern-generating interneurons elicits the feeding rhythm, but of all the buccal neurons, only the SO can drive the feeding rhythm at the frequency seen in the intact snail. The SO makes reciprocal excitatory synapses with the N1 interneurons that drive the protraction of the radula. This ensures strong activation of the feeding system. The SO inhibits the N2 interneurons. Postsynaptic potentials evoked by stimulation of the SO facilitate without spike broadening in the SO. The SO is strongly inhibited by N2 and N3 interneurons, which are active during the retraction phase. This gates any excitatory inputs to the SO, probably preventing protraction of the radula while retraction is underway. The results support the idea of a single interneuron capable of driving a hierarchically organized motor system.

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