Functional organization of cotransmission systems: lessons from small nervous systems
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Updated: Oct 31, 2026

Automated Multimodal Stimulation and Simultaneous Neuronal Recording from Multiple Small Organisms
Published on: March 3, 2023
E Marder1, A E Christie, V L Kilman
1Volen Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02254, USA.
Abstract:
Small invertebrate nervous systems allow one to ask a series of questions concerning the functional roles of cotransmitters. This review outlines some of the implications of cotransmission for target selectivity in complex neuropils. We suggest the possibility that a unique constellation of cotransmitters in individual identified modulatory neurons allows a specificity of action even when peptides may act over an extended distance, and when individual modulatory substances may be released from several modulatory neurons.
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