Transmitter Release in Aplysia: Applicability of Quantal Models and Evidence for Postsynaptic Control

Abstract

The use of molluscan ganglia for neurobiological studies combines multiple technical advantages with demonstrated versatility. These benefits derive not only from the accessibility of individual neurons, and consequent ease of study, but also from the network properties of these neuronal arrays. A well-recognized advantage is that many molluscan neurons are distinct individuals. As a consequence, using criteria such as shape, size, position, electrophysiology and connectivity, molluscan neurons in several species have been identified. The use of identified cells permits incrementally assembling a library of specific information by the repeated study of the same cell in successive preparations. It further permits examination of those specific features which distinguish individual neurons, rather than studying only those general properties which are common to classes of similar cells. Similarly, specific network properties which characterize interconnections of identified cells may be used to examine or contrast particular elements, permitting analyses not available in such systems as cultured cell lines, chromaffin cells, or synaptosomes.