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Electroreceptive and mechanoreceptive units in the lateral line of the axolotlAmbystoma mexicanum

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Summary

The properties of electroreceptive units (ampullary organs) and mechanoreceptive units (neuromasts) in the head lateral line system of the axolotlAmbystoma mexicanum were compared by recording single unit activity in the afferent fibers:

  1. 1.

    Electroreceptive units respond with excitation to cathodal (outward) and with inhibition to anodal (inward) current. Ordinary lateral line units react in the opposite way: they are excited by anodal and inhibited by cathodal current.

  2. 2.

    Electroreceptive units react to electric field stimuli (square pulses) down to a voltage gradient parallel to the skin of 10 μV cm−1 with 10% change of the mean resting activity. Mechanoreceptive lateral line units show this response at a stimulus strength of about 10 mV cm−1. Sinusoidal stimulation of electroreceptive units in the best frequency range with amplitudes down to 5 μV cm−1 resulted in 10% modulation response.

  3. 3.

    Electroreceptive units respond only to rough mechanical stimulation with water jets, while mechanoreceptive lateral line units have thresholds to local water displacement below 1 μm and show direction sensitivity.

  4. 4.

    The statistical distribution of the resting activity impulse intervals in electroreceptive units has a median between 5 and 25 imp s−1. The value of the median of mechanoreceptive units resting activity is between 5 and 80 imp s−1. Electroreceptive units have a more symmetrical interspike interval distribution (modus — median: ca. 5 imp s−1) than mechanoreceptive units (modus — median: 0–80 imp s−1) under present experimental conditions.

  5. 5.

    Electroreceptive units reduce their resting activity after application of 200 μl aliquots of 10 mmol/l MgCl2 solution to the receptor sites. However, in mechanoreceptive lateral line units, the same stimulus elicits either a weak increase in activity or no reaction at all.

  6. 6.

    The electroreceptive units were tested with sinusoidal electric field stimuli from 0.05 to 100 Hz. The gain curve has its maximum around 10 Hz. At the low frequency end the slope of the curve is 2.7 dB/oct. Above 20 Hz the gain decreases with a slope of 3–4 dB/oct. The mechanoreceptive lateral line units are most sensitive to local sinusoidal water displacements of 20–50 Hz. The gain curve increases with a slope of 12 dB/oct.

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Abbreviations

DAB :

diaminobenzidine 4 HCl

HRP :

horseradish peroxidase

N.l.a. :

Nervus lateralis anterior

N.l.p. :

Nervus lateralis posterior

PSTH :

peristimulus time histogram

r.o.s. :

ramus ophthalmicus superficialis

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fakultät für Biologie, Universität Bielefeld, Postfach 8640, D-4800, Bielefeld 1, Federal Republic of Germany

    H. Münz, B. Claas & B. Fritzsch

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  1. H. Münz
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  2. B. Claas
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  3. B. Fritzsch
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Münz, H., Claas, B. & Fritzsch, B. Electroreceptive and mechanoreceptive units in the lateral line of the axolotlAmbystoma mexicanum . J. Comp. Physiol. 154, 33–44 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00605387

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