Abstract
In this study we examined whether the foraging for artificial blood affected the behavioral responsiveness of leeches to electrical stimulation of the body wall. After foraging for artificial blood, electrical stimulation of the posterior end of the leech significantly increased the percentage of stimulation trials that elicited locomotory activity—swimming and crawling—compared to the behaviors elicited when leeches did not forage or foraged for normal saline. On the other hand, shortening always dominated the behavioral profile of the leech to anterior stimulation even after foraging for artificial blood. In intact anterior end-isolated nerve cord preparations, we also found that application of artificial blood to the intact anterior end was sufficient to modify motor responsiveness to DP nerve stimulation. Full strength artificial blood had an overall negative effect on the likelihood of DP nerve stimulation initiating swimming and on the average length of elicited swim episodes compared to when pond water surrounded the anterior end. Application of a 10% solution of artificial blood to the anterior end led to an increase in the likelihood of DP nerve stimulation eliciting swimming.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Angstadt JD, Friesen WO (1993) Modulation of swimming behavior in the medicinal leech I. Effects of serotonin on the electrical properties of swim-gating cell 204. J Comp Physiol A 172:223–234
Briggman KL, Abarbanel HD, Kristan Jr WB (2005) Optical imaging of neuronal populations during decision-making. Science 307:896–901
Brodfuehrer PD, Thorogood MSE (2001) Identified neurons and leech swimming behavior. Prog Neurobio 63:371–381
Brodfuehrer PD, Kogelnik AM, Friesen WO, Cohen AV (1993) Effect of the tail ganglion on swimming activity in the leech. Behav Neural Biol 59:162–166
Brodfuehrer PD, Friesen WO (1986a) Control of leech swimming activity by the cephalic ganglia. J Neurobiol 17:697–705
Brodfuehrer PD, Friesen WO (1986b) Initiation of swimming activity by trigger neurons in the leech subesophageal ganglion. I. Output connections of Tr1 and Tr2. J Comp Physiol A 159:489–502
Brodfuehrer PD, Friesen WO (1984) A sensory system initiating swimming activity in the medicinal leech. J Exp Biol 108:341–355
Crisp KM, Mesce KA (2003) To swim or not to swim: regional effects of serotonin, octopamine and amine mixtures in the medicinal leech. J Comp Physiol A 189:461–470
Elliott EJ (1986) Chemosensory stimuli in feeding behavior of the leech Hirudo medicinalis. J Comp Physiol A 159:391–401
Esch T, Kristan Jr WB (2002) Decision-making in the leech nervous system. Integ Comp Biol 42:716–724
Esch T, Mesce KA, Kristan Jr WB (2002) Evidence for sequential decision making in the medicinal leech. J Neurosci 22:11045–11054
Groome JR, Vaughan DK, Lent CM (1995) Ingestive sensory inputs excite serotonin effector neurons and promote serotonin depletion from the leech central nervous system and periphery. J Exp Biol 198:1233–1242
Hashemzadeh-Gargari H, Friesen WO (1989) Modulation of swimming activity in the medicinal leech by serotonin and octopamine. Comp Biochem Physiol C 94:295–302
Kristan Jr WB, McGirr SJ, Simpson GV (1982) Behavioural and mechanosensory neurone responses to skin stimulation in leeches. J Exp Biol 96:143–160
Kristan Jr WB, Calabrese RL (1976) Rhythmic swimming activity in neurons of the isolated nerve cord of the leech. J Exp Biol 65:643–668
Mesce KA, Crisp KM, Gilchrist LS (2001) Mixtures of octopamine and serotonin have nonadditive effects on the CNS of the medicinal leech. J Neurophysiol 85:2089–2046
Misell LM, Shaw BK, Kristan WB Jr (1998) Behavioral hierarchy in the medicinal leech, Hirudo medicinalis: feeding as a dominant behavior. Behav Brain Res 90:13–21
Shaw BK, Kristan Jr WB (1997) The neuronal basis of the behavioral choice between swimming and shortening in the leech: control is not selectively exercised at higher circuit levels. J Neurosci 82:1114–1123
Trueta C, Mendez B, De-Miguel RF (2003) Somatic exocytosis of serotonin mediated by L-type calcium channels in cultured leech neurons. J Physiol 547:405–416
Willard AI (1981) Effects of serotonin on the generation of the motor program for swimming by the medicinal leech. J Neurosci 1:936–944
Young SR, Dedwylder II RD, Friesen WO (1981) Responses of the medicinal leech to water waves. J Comp Physiol 144:111–116
Zhang X, Wilson RJA, Li Y, Kleinhaus AL (2000) Chemical and thermal stimuli have short-lived effects on the retzius cell in the medicinal leech. J Neurobiol 43:304–311
Acknowledgements
This work was partially supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (IBN-0113276). We thank Dr. K. Crisp for helpful comments on an earlier version of this manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Brodfuehrer, P.D., Tapyrik, L., Pietras, N. et al. Modification of leech behavior following foraging for artificial blood. J Comp Physiol A 192, 817–825 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-006-0119-4
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-006-0119-4