Abstract
The membrane potential, impulse activity (mostly spontaneous) and, in some cases postsynaptic potentials, have been recorded in vitro under optical control (glass micropipets, cathode follower, oscilloscope with movie camera and/or ink writing recorder) in neurons of the visceral ganglia of Aplysia depilans. The value of the membrane potential is usually 40 mV. The majority of cells entered by the microelectrode show no spontaneous nerve impulse-spike activity. Statistical analysis of the spontaneous impulse activity made with records taken mostly from autoactive pacemaker neurons (using a computer), shows that these neurons generate relatively regular nerve impulses (the inter-spike interval histograms are often approximated by a Gaussian shape), irrespective of marked differences in mean values of the inter-spike intervals. Construction of special types of interval histograms and statistical comparison of corresponding distributions demonstrated, in several neurons, that the occurrence of inhibitory postsynaptic potentials tends to postpone the onset of the subsequent spike. Statistical description of in vitro recorded activity of neurons may be used for establishing correlations between metabolic and functional aspects.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature cited
Bullock, T. D. and G. A. Horridge: Structure and function in the nervous system of invertebrates. II. Mollusca: Gastropoda, 1719 pp. San Francisco, London: Freeman & Co. 1965.
Junge, D. and G. P. Moore: Interspike-interval fluctuations in Aplysia pacemaker neurons. Biophys. J. 6, 411–434 (1966).
Moore, G. P., D. H. Perkel and J. P. Segundo: Statistical analysis and functional interpretation of neuronal spike data. A. Rev. Physiol. 28, 493–522 (1966).
Perkel, D. H., G. L. Gerstein and G. P. Moore: Neuronal spike trains and stochastic point processes I. The single spike train. Biophys. J. 7, 391–418 (1967b).
—: Neuronal spike strains and stochastic point processes. II. Simultaneous spike trains. Biophys. J. 7, 419–440 (1967b).
Radil-Weiss, T., J. Škvaril and J. Syka: Quantitative analysis of spontaneous impulse activity of neurons in the brain. In: Biokybernetik II, pp 244–250. Ed. by H. Drischel and N. Tiedt. Leipzig: VEB Gustav Fischer, 1968.
Tauc, L.: Physiology of the nervous system. In: Physiology of the Mollusca II, pp 387–454, Ed. by K. M. Wilbur and C. M. Yonge. New York: Academic Press 1966.
—: Transmission in invertebrate and vertebrate ganglia. Physiol. Rev. 47, 521–593 (1967).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Communicated by E. A. Pora, Cluj
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Radil-Weiss, T., Lakočevič, L. & Damjanovič, Z. Spontaneous activity of neurons in the visceral ganglion of Aplysia depilans . Marine Biology 6, 241–247 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00347232
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00347232