The cardioregulatory system of crayfish: neuroanatomy and physiology

1. The anatomical arrangement of the cardioregulatory nerves and their physiological activity during cardiac modulation were analysed in Procambarus clarkii. 2. The bilaterally arranged pairs of cardioinhibitors and cardioaccelerator axons, in nerves SN II and SN III respectively, were physiologically identified by correlating spikes in SN II and SN III with the same spikes in the dorsal nerve, which innervates the heart. 3. The cardioinhibitor neurone fired tonically in varied sporadic bursts. During periods of cardiac inhibition, however, this neurone discharged in a long chain of spikes at a characteristic frequency of 40-50Hz. 4. The cardioaccelerator neurone fired tonically at 2-3 Hz but on occasion its activity reached 12 Hz. 5. Three inhibitory cardiac reflexes were analysed. The sensory modalities for the reflexes included (a) stretch of the dorsal pericardial wall, (b) chemical stimulation of coxal hair sensilla with glucose and (c) tactile stimulation of hair sensilla in and below the gill chamber, on the antennae, the antennules and on the anterior cephalothorax. 6. The discharge of both cardioinhibitor neurones showed a weak temporal correlation suggesting a common presynaptic drive, while the pair of cardioaccelerators appeared to have a reciprocal relationship with the cardioinhibitors.