Integrative neurophysiology of the lobster cardiac ganglion

Abstract

The synchronized bursts of impulses produced by the nine neurons of the isolated Homarus cardiac ganglion are usually initiated by Cell 7. Activity in all other cells commences with very short latency thereafter. Impulses in most cells originate in trigger zones located 1-2 mm from the cell body, but the first several impulses in Cells 8 and 9 frequently originate in distal trigger zones some distance from the somata. Large cells fire at a high initial frequency, dropping rapidly to a low frequency plateau. Small cells exhibit a more tonic behavior and fire at intermediate rates. More anterior small cells tend to fire faster than more posterior ones. The major synaptic interactions are the impulse-mediated excitatory ones from small cells to large cells, and possibly to more anterior small cells. There are weak interactions from large cells back onto small cells, and very specific interactions from Cells 1 and 2 onto 3A, 4A, 5A, and 3B 4B 5B respectively. The large discrete EPSPs generated in large cells by small cell impulses appear to be the explanation for "discrete positioning" in large-cell firing patterns. In this situation, large-cell impulses only fire at discrete times during the burst, regardless of the actual large-cell pattern.The overall view is of a two-layered neural system in which the small cells possess an endogenous oscillatory driver potential, synchronized by synaptic and electrotonic interactions, and driving a train of impulses in each cell. This activates excitatory synapses on the large cells, which combined with a triggered driver potential in each large cell, produces synchronized trains of motor impulses which activate the heart muscle, causing the heartbeat. © 1979 by the American Society of Zoologists.