The electric organ discharge of pulse gymnotiforms: the transformation of a simple impulse into a complex spatio-temporal electromotor pattern
- PMID:10210664
- DOI: 10.1242/jeb.202.10.1229
The electric organ discharge of pulse gymnotiforms: the transformation of a simple impulse into a complex spatio-temporal electromotor pattern
Abstract
An understanding of how the nervous system processes an impulse-like input to yield a stereotyped, species-specific electromotor output is relevant for electric fish physiology, but also for understanding the general mechanisms of coordination of effector patterns. In pulse gymnotids, the electromotor system is repetitively activated by impulse-like signals generated by a pacemaker nucleus in the medulla. This nucleus activates a set of relay cells whose axons descend along the spinal cord and project to electromotor neurones which, in turn, project to electrocytes. Relay neurones, electromotor neurones and electrocytes may be considered as layers of a network arranged with a lattice hierarchy. This network is able to coordinate a spatio-temporal pattern of postsynaptic and action currents generated by the electrocyte membranes. Electrocytes may be innervated at their rostral face, at their caudal face or at both faces, depending on the site of the organ and the species. Thus, the species-specific electric organ discharge patterns depend on the electric organ innervation pattern and on the coordinated activation of the electrocyte faces. The activity of equally oriented faces is synchronised by a synergistic combination of delay lines. The activation of oppositely oriented faces is coordinated in a precise sequence resulting from the orderly recruitment of subsets of electromotor neurones according to the 'size principle' and to their position along the spinal cord. The body of the animal filters the electric organ output electrically, and the whole fish is transformed into a distributed electric source.
Similar articles
- Innervation pattern and electric organ discharge waveform in Gymnotus carapo (Teleostei; Gymnotiformes).Trujillo-Cenóz O, Echagüe JA, Macadar O.Trujillo-Cenóz O, et al.J Neurobiol. 1984 Jul;15(4):273-81. doi: 10.1002/neu.480150404.J Neurobiol. 1984.PMID:6090586
- Cell death of asynaptic neurons in regenerating spinal cord.Anderson MJ, Waxman SG, Tadlock CH.Anderson MJ, et al.Dev Biol. 1984 Jun;103(2):443-55. doi: 10.1016/0012-1606(84)90332-4.Dev Biol. 1984.PMID:6724138
- NADPH-diaphorase activity and nitric oxide synthase-like immunoreactivity colocalize in the electromotor system of four species of gymnotiform fish.Smith GT, Unguez GA, Reinauer RM Jr.Smith GT, et al.Brain Behav Evol. 2001;58(3):122-36. doi: 10.1159/000047267.Brain Behav Evol. 2001.PMID:11910170
- Electrocyte physiology: 50 years later.Markham MR.Markham MR.J Exp Biol. 2013 Jul 1;216(Pt 13):2451-8. doi: 10.1242/jeb.082628.J Exp Biol. 2013.PMID:23761470Review.
- Anatomy and motor pathways of the electric organ of skates.Koester DM.Koester DM.Anat Rec A Discov Mol Cell Evol Biol. 2003 Jul;273(1):648-62. doi: 10.1002/ar.a.10076.Anat Rec A Discov Mol Cell Evol Biol. 2003.PMID:12808649Review.
Cited by
- Cyclic AMP modulates electrical signaling in a weakly electric fish.McAnelly L, Silva A, Zakon HH.McAnelly L, et al.J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol. 2003 Apr;189(4):273-82. doi: 10.1007/s00359-003-0400-8. Epub 2003 Mar 13.J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol. 2003.PMID:12743732
- The effect of urethane and MS-222 anesthesia on the electric organ discharge of the weakly electric fish Apteronotus leptorhynchus.Eske AI, Lehotzky D, Ahmed M, Zupanc GKH.Eske AI, et al.J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol. 2023 May;209(3):437-457. doi: 10.1007/s00359-022-01606-6. Epub 2023 Feb 17.J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol. 2023.PMID:36799986
- Modeling the Sequential Pattern Variability of the Electromotor Command System of Pulse Electric Fish.Lareo A, Varona P, Rodriguez FB.Lareo A, et al.Front Neuroinform. 2022 Jun 28;16:912654. doi: 10.3389/fninf.2022.912654. eCollection 2022.Front Neuroinform. 2022.PMID:35836729Free PMC article.
- Real-Time Localization of Moving Dipole Sources for Tracking Multiple Free-Swimming Weakly Electric Fish.Jun JJ, Longtin A, Maler L.Jun JJ, et al.PLoS One. 2013 Jun 21;8(6):e66596. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0066596. Print 2013.PLoS One. 2013.PMID:23805244Free PMC article.
- Sodium-dependent plateau potentials in electrocytes of the electric fish Gymnotus carapo.Sierra F, Comas V, Buño W, Macadar O.Sierra F, et al.J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol. 2005 Jan;191(1):1-11. doi: 10.1007/s00359-004-0567-7. Epub 2004 Sep 11.J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol. 2005.PMID:15372305
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources