Cnidarian neurobiology: what does the future hold?

Abstract

Cnidarians have long been recognized as occupying a unique position in nervous system evolution and, consequently, have attracted considerable attention from neurobiologists over the years. During the latter half of the 20th century, the application of a variety of electrophysiological and other methods provided us with a great deal of information about the scope and composition of the cnidarian nervous system. Here, I will briefly review what is known about cnidarian nervous systems, what remains to be found and, most importantly, discuss the status and future of the field. Key words: Anthozoa, Hydrozoa, Scyphozoa, gap junctions, neurons, synapse, neurotransmitters, ion channels