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Related Experiment Videos

A central pattern generator underlies crawling in the medicinal leech.

F J Eisenhart1, T W Cacciatore, W B Kristan

  • 1Program in Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, USA.

Journal of Comparative Physiology. A, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology
|October 4, 2000
PubMed
Summary

The medicinal leech

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Development of neuronal circuits and behaviors in the medicinal leech.

Brain research bulletin·2001

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Animal Behavior

Background:

  • Crawling in medicinal leeches is modulated by sensory feedback.
  • Semi-intact leech preparations crawl only when allowed free movement.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of sensory feedback in leech crawling.
  • To determine if the leech nerve cord can generate crawling patterns autonomously.

Main Methods:

  • Analyzing motor patterns from isolated leech nerve cords.
  • Comparing isolated cord patterns to semi-intact and intact leech crawling.

Main Results:

  • An isolated leech nerve cord generates a crawling motor pattern similar to semi-intact preparations.
  • Specific neuronal activity patterns (dorsal inhibitor cell 1, ventral excitor cell 4, annulus erector motor neuron) are reproduced.
  • Isolated patterns exhibit longer periods and timing deficiencies compared to intact crawling.

Conclusions:

  • A central pattern generator in the isolated nerve cord produces the basic crawling motor pattern.
  • Sensory feedback modulates this central pattern generator to refine normal leech locomotion.

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