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Multifunctional interneurons in behavioral circuits of the medicinal leech
W B Kristan1, G Wittenberg, M P Nusbaum
1Department of Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093.
Experientia
|May 15, 1988
Summary
Medicinal leeches reveal how single sensory neurons trigger distinct behaviors like crawling or swimming. An interneuron
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Biology
- Computational Neuroscience
Background:
- Understanding the neural basis of behavioral choice is crucial for deciphering complex motor control.
- The medicinal leech offers a simplified model system to investigate decision-making processes in the nervous system.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neuronal mechanisms underlying behavioral choice in the medicinal leech.
- To identify the neural circuits responsible for eliciting and generating distinct behaviors: shortening reflex, crawling, and swimming.
Main Methods:
- Extracellular and intracellular recordings from leech neurons.
- Analysis of neural activity during different behavioral states (shortening reflex, crawling, swimming).
- Investigating the role of specific interneurons, such as cell 204, in behavioral selection.
Main Results:
- Specific mechanosensory neurons can initiate any of the three observed behaviors.
- Three distinct pattern-generating neuronal circuits control the four muscle sets responsible for movement.
- Interneuron cell 204, known for initiating swimming, is also active during shortening and crawling, influencing behavioral output.
Conclusions:
- Behavioral choice in leeches involves the activation of specific pattern-generating circuits by common sensory inputs.
- Interneuron activity, exemplified by cell 204, plays a critical role in selecting among potential behaviors.
- Further research is needed to fully elucidate the circuits governing shortening and crawling for a complete understanding of behavioral choice mechanisms.