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Adaptation in chemoreceptor cells. I. Self-adapting backgrounds determine threshold and cause parallel shift of
1Boston University Marine Program, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543.
Journal of Comparative Physiology. A, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology
|November 1, 1988
Summary
Lobster chemoreceptor cells adapt to chemical backgrounds, shifting their response to detect relative stimulus intensity. This adaptation broadens the dynamic range of the chemosensory system.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sensory Biology
- Chemoreception
Background:
- Investigating the impact of self-adapting chemical backgrounds on chemoreceptor cell responses.
- Utilizing lobster (Homarus americanus) ammonium (NH4) receptor cells as a model system.
Purpose of the Study:
- To understand how NH4 receptor cells adapt to constant chemical backgrounds.
- To determine the effect of adaptation on the cell's response to superimposed stimuli.
- To elucidate the functional significance of adaptation in chemoreception.
Main Methods:
- Exposure of NH4 receptor cells to varying concentrations of chemical backgrounds.
- Recording of receptor cell activity in response to both background and superimposed stimuli.
- Analysis of stimulus-response functions and threshold shifts.
Main Results:
- Receptors showed initial responses to background onset, followed by adaptation to a resting level.
- Responses were strongest during steepest concentration changes and decayed during constant background exposure.
- Adaptation eliminated responses to sub-background stimuli and reduced responses to supra-background stimuli, causing a parallel shift in the stimulus-response curve.
Conclusions:
- Lobster NH4 receptors function as detectors of relative, not absolute, stimulus intensity.
- Adaptation resets the response threshold, enabling detection across a wider dynamic range.
- Parallel shifts in response functions are crucial for chemosensory system adaptability.
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