Physical Release of Acetylcholine from the Thoracic Nerve Cord of Periplaneta americana L.

Nature ◽  
1958 ◽  
Vol 181 (4607) ◽  
pp. 490-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. H. COLHOUN
Keyword(s):  
Nerve Cord ◽  
Periplaneta Americana ◽  
Thoracic Nerve ◽  
Release Of Acetylcholine

ACETYLCHOLINE IN PERIPLANETA AMERICANA L.: III. ACETYLCHOLINE IN ROACHES TREATED WITH TETRAETHYL PYROPHOSPHATE AND 2,2-BIS(p-CHLOROPHENYL)-1,1,1-TRICHLOROETHANE

1959 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 259-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. H. Colhoun
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Activity ◽  
Topical Treatment ◽  
Mode Of Action ◽  
Nerve Cord ◽  
Nervous Tissue ◽  
Periplaneta Americana ◽  
Nervous Activity ◽  
Thoracic Nerve ◽  
Physiological Properties ◽  
Nerve Cords

The levels of acetylcholine (ACh) in the thoracic nerve cords of cockroaches were increased by the topical application of 2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)-1,1,1-trichloroethane (DDT) and of tetraethyl pyrophosphate (TEPP), but only TEPP inhibited cholinesterase (ChE). Improvements in the correlation of symptoms, nervous activity, and ACh levels with ChE were obtained when nerve cords were homogenized in saline containing ACh, which prevented further inhibition of ChE by TEPP found to be present in blood and nervous tissue. There was a similarity in the distribution of ACh in thoracic nerve cords of roaches after topical treatment with TEPP and DDT but the physiological properties of the blood revealed differences in the mode of action of the two insecticides. The effects of blood from the poisoned insects on the electrical activity of the isolated nerve cord of roaches are discussed in relation to the penetration of the nerve cord by known neurohumors.

Visual and Multimodal Interneurones in the Ventral Nerve Cord of the Cockroach, Periplaneta Americana

1973 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 675-696
Author(s):  
R. J. COOTER
Keyword(s):  
Nerve Cord ◽  
Ventral Nerve Cord ◽  
Tactile Stimulation ◽  
Periplaneta Americana ◽  
Compound Eye ◽  
Visual Stimulation ◽  
Contralateral Stimulation ◽  
Thoracic Nerve ◽  
General Properties ◽  
Stimulation Of

1. Visual and multimodal units were recorded from the thoracic nerve cord of the cockroach, Periplaneta americana, using glass microelectrodes. 2. Compound-eye units could be classified as ON-, OFF- or ON-OFF-units according to their response to visual stimulation. Some were multimodal, firing to both visual and tactile stimulation of the antennae. 3. Although some units were found to be either fired by ipsilateral or by contralateral stimulation only, others were fired by both types of stimulation, often in different ways. 4. Ocellar units were invariably OFF-units, mainly phasic, but one type showed tonic dark-firing in addition to the phasic OFF-burst. 5. The general properties of cockroach visual units are discussed and compared with those reported by other workers for different insects.

ACETYLCHOLINE IN PERIPLANETA AMERICANA L.: III. ACETYLCHOLINE IN ROACHES TREATED WITH TETRAETHYL PYROPHOSPHATE AND 2,2-BIS(p-CHLOROPHENYL)-1,1,1-TRICHLOROETHANE

1959 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 259-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. H. Colhoun
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Activity ◽  
Topical Treatment ◽  
Mode Of Action ◽  
Nerve Cord ◽  
Nervous Tissue ◽  
Periplaneta Americana ◽  
Nervous Activity ◽  
Thoracic Nerve ◽  
Physiological Properties ◽  
Nerve Cords

The levels of acetylcholine (ACh) in the thoracic nerve cords of cockroaches were increased by the topical application of 2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)-1,1,1-trichloroethane (DDT) and of tetraethyl pyrophosphate (TEPP), but only TEPP inhibited cholinesterase (ChE). Improvements in the correlation of symptoms, nervous activity, and ACh levels with ChE were obtained when nerve cords were homogenized in saline containing ACh, which prevented further inhibition of ChE by TEPP found to be present in blood and nervous tissue. There was a similarity in the distribution of ACh in thoracic nerve cords of roaches after topical treatment with TEPP and DDT but the physiological properties of the blood revealed differences in the mode of action of the two insecticides. The effects of blood from the poisoned insects on the electrical activity of the isolated nerve cord of roaches are discussed in relation to the penetration of the nerve cord by known neurohumors.

Sodium and Potassium Fluxes in the Abdominal Nerve Cord of the Cockroach, Periplaneta Americana L

1961 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 315-322
Author(s):  
J. E. TREHERNE
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Nerve Cord ◽  
Periplaneta Americana ◽  
Unit Area ◽  
Potassium Ions ◽  
Sodium Ions ◽  
Nerve Sheath ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Sodium And Potassium

1. The influx of sodium and potassium ions into the central nervous system of Periplaneta americana has been studied by measuring the increase in radioactivity within the abdominal nerve cord following the injection of 24NA and 42K. into the haemolymph. 2. The calculated influx of sodium ions was approximately 320 mM./l. of nerve cord water/hr. and of potassium ions was 312 mM./l. of nerve cord water/hr. These values are very approximately equivalent to an influx per unit area of nerve cord surface of 13.9 x 10-2 M cm. -2 sec.-1 for sodium and 13.5 x 10-12 M cm. -2 sec.-1 for potassium ions. 3. The relatively rapid influxes of these ions are discussed in relation to the postulated function of the nerve sheath as a diffusion barrier. It is suggested that a dynamic steady state rather than a static impermeability must exist across the sheath surrounding the central nervous system in this insect.

Organization of the Giant Axons of the Cockroach Periplaneta Americana

1969 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 615-627
Author(s):  
M. E. SPIRA ◽  
I. PARNAS ◽  
F. BERGMANN
Keyword(s):  
Nerve Cord ◽  
Periplaneta Americana ◽  
Thoracic Ganglion ◽  
American Cockroach ◽  
Abdominal Ganglion ◽  
Common Pathway ◽  
Average Delay ◽  
Giant Axons ◽  
Stimulation Of

1. Stimulation of the connectives between the suboesophageal and prothoracic ganglia of the American cockroach induced ipsilateral descending spikes in the abdominal giant axons with an average delay of 0·6 msec, per thoracic ganglion. 2. Nicotine at 5 µg./ml. had no effect on conduction in the abdomen but blocked ascending responses sequentially at the 6th abdominal ganglion then at the levels of T1; T2, and T3. 3. Simultaneous descending and ascending impulses resulted in mutual extinction along the nerve cord with the point of collision depending on the interval between stimuli. 4. It is suggested that a common pathway subserves ascending and descending giant impulses and models for bi-directional conduction are discussed.

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