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Abdominal ascending interneurons in crickets: responses to sound at the 30-Hz calling-song frequency

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Journal of Comparative Physiology A Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

  1. 1.

    Ascending abdominal interneurons receiving inputs from the cerci were examined by stimulating the cerci with pulses of 30-Hz sound, a frequency that corresponds to the repetition rate of the syllables in the conspecific calling song.

  2. 2.

    13 interneurons were morphologically identified and characterized physiologically.

  3. 3.

    Neurons showing little or no habituation during the sound pulse copy the stimulus pattern by discharging at a particular phase of each cycle of air motion (interneurons 10-2a, 10-3a; with qualifications also 8-1a, 9-1a and 9-3a).

  4. 4.

    Neurons in a second group act as frequency-dependent filters: three (9-1b, 10-1c and 11-1c) showed low-pass properties at 30 Hz, and one (8-1b) a band pass characteristic.

  5. 5.

    The direction of the stimulus source also affects the response; individual neurons have different best directions. In principle the animal could determine the direction of air-particle oscillation by comparing the response phases of two cells (10-2a and 10-3a) that are shown to discharge in synchrony or in alternation depending on the direction of the stimulus.

  6. 6.

    Changes of various parameters of the sound pulses during continuous stimulation of the cerci cause interneuron 11-1c and the newly described interneuron NN1 to give persistently increased responses.

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Abbreviations

IN :

abdominal ascending interneuron

I1–3 :

intensity 1–3

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Abteilung Huber, Max-Planck-Institut für Verhaltensphysiologie, D-8131, Seewiesen, Federal Republic of Germany

    Günter Kämper

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  1. Günter Kämper
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Kämper, G. Abdominal ascending interneurons in crickets: responses to sound at the 30-Hz calling-song frequency. J. Comp. Physiol. 155, 507–520 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00611915

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