Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Evidence for sequential decision making in the medicinal leech.

Teresa Esch1, Karen A Mesce, William B Kristan

  • 1Section of Neurobiology, Division of Biological Science, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA.

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
|December 18, 2002
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Regeneration in planarians modifies behavioral switching.

iScience·2025
Same author

Editorial: Naturalistic neuroscience - Towards a full cycle from lab to field.

Frontiers in neural circuits·2023
Same author

Comment on "Food wanting is mediated by transient activation of dopaminergic signaling in the honey bee brain".

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2023
Same author

Planarian fragments behave as whole animals.

Current biology : CB·2022
Same author

A review of the bioeffects of low-intensity focused ultrasound and the benefits of a cellular approach.

Frontiers in physiology·2022
Same author

Head removal enhances planarian electrotaxis.

The Journal of experimental biology·2022
Same journal

Endogenous peptide derived from c-Cbl-associated protein counteracts its inhibitory effect on enteric neural crest cell colonization in Hirschsprung disease.

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Drowsiness alters the neural dynamics but not the core computations of multisensory integration.

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience·2026
Same journal

A Matter of Parameters: Tailored Transcranial Focused Ultrasound Enhances Cortico-Thalamo-Cortical Circuit Resonance.

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Proactive visual and motor prioritization differentially scale with cue reliability.

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Erratum: Yao et al., "Estrogen Regulates Bcl-w and Bim Expression: Role in Protection against β-Amyloid Peptide-Induced Neuronal Death".

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Erratum: L'Episcopo et al., "Plasticity of Subventricular Zone Neuroprogenitors in MPTP (1-Methyl-4-Phenyl-1,2,3,6-Tetrahydropyridine) Mouse Model of Parkinson's Disease Involves Cross Talk between Inflammatory and Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Pathways: Functional Consequences for Neuroprotection and Repair".

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience·2026
See all related articles

Leeches exhibit sequential decision-making, similar to humans. Specific interneurons in leeches initiate either swimming or crawling, with the final behavior modulated by external fluid depth cues.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Animal Behavior
  • Decision Making

Background:

  • Decision-making involves complex, sequential subdecisions.
  • Understanding neural mechanisms of decision-making is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate sequential decision-making in leeches.
  • To identify specific interneurons involved in locomotion control.

Main Methods:

  • Stimulation of interneurons in isolated leech nerve cords and semi-intact leeches.
  • Experimental manipulation of saline depth.
  • Recording neuronal activity during spontaneous and stimulated behaviors.

Main Results:

  • A pair of interneurons elicited either swimming or crawling motor programs.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Behavioral output (swimming/crawling) was controlled by saline depth.
  • These interneurons fired strongly during spontaneous locomotion.

    • Conclusions:

    • These interneurons function as "locomotory command-like neurons" in decision-making.
    • Downstream neural circuits determine the final behavior based on environmental stimuli like fluid depth.