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Effects of angular and linear accelerations on semicircular canal interneurons of the crabScylla serrata

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Summary

The input of a large statocyst interneuron in the oesophageal connectives of the crabScylla serrata has been limited to the thread hair receptors of a single statocyst and the output of this interneuron has been used as a monitor of thread hair activity to test the transduction properties of the statocyst. The vertical canal of the statocyst abstracts the magnitude and direction of the rotational component in the plane in which it lies. The orthogonal components thus abstracted by the two vertical canals may be used very simply by the animal to compensate for any rotation about the horizontal axes using effector components limited to pitch or roll. The canal and thread hair system is insensitive to short duration linear accelerations but is significantly influenced by gravity such that it operates effectively only over a limited range of positions. The response to a given sinusoidal oscillation varies with the initial position of the crab.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurobiology, Research School of Biological Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra City, A.C.T., Australia

    Peter J. Fraser & David C. Sandeman

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  1. Peter J. Fraser
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  2. David C. Sandeman
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Fraser, P.J., Sandeman, D.C. Effects of angular and linear accelerations on semicircular canal interneurons of the crabScylla serrata . J. Comp. Physiol. 96, 205–221 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00612695

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00612695

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