Anatomy and development of the somatic musculature of the nematode Ascaris

The musculature of the nematode Ascaris has been studied by the examination of serial sections by light and electron microscopy. The muscle cells of nematodes are unusual in that they send branches to the neurones in contrast to the more usual situation in other animals where neurones send processes to the muscles. The neuromuscular synapses are made at the ends of the arms. Muscle cells receive multiple innervations and perform integration of the combined inputs. The action potentials are initiated near the ends of the arms so each arm acts as an integrative centre. It is shown that it is common for a muscle cell to have several arms, raising the possibility that each arm may integrate different combinations of neuronal inputs. In the second larval stage the total number of muscle cells is 83. The adult has approximately 5 X 10(4) muscle cells. The very striking increase in cell numbers of the musculature is not matched by a corresponding increase in the number of cells in the nervous system. A model for the way in which a small number of neurones can co-ordinate the activity of an increasing population of muscle cells is presented.