scholarly journals Neural Photoreception in a Lamellibranch Mollusc

1960 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 277-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald Kennedy
Keyword(s):  
Light Stimulus ◽  
Monochromatic Light ◽  
Selective Adaptation ◽  
Carotenoid Pigment ◽  
Spisula Solidissima ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Constant Frequency ◽  
Afferent Nerve Fiber ◽  
Discharge Patterns ◽  
Spectral Sensitivity Function

The pallial nerves of Spisula solidissima each contain a single afferent nerve fiber which responds directly to illumination of the nerve, and apparently mediates the "shadow" response of siphon retraction. These units show constant-frequency spontaneous activity in the dark; illumination abruptly inhibits this discharge, and cessation of the light stimulus then evokes a prolonged burst of impulses at high frequency (the off-response). Impulses are initiated at a point near the visceral ganglion, and propagated unidirectionally toward it. Stimulation with monochromatic light has revealed that more than one photoreceptor pigment is involved, since the discharge patterns evoked are wavelength-specific. Inhibition is relatively prominent at short wavelengths, excitation at long wavelengths. Following selective adaptation with blue light, "on" responses can be produced with red stimuli, demonstrating the unmasking of an excitatory event which takes place during illumination. The two photoreceptor pigments may be segregated in two or more cells presynaptic to the recorded unit, or,—more likely—may both be contained in the same cell. The spectral sensitivity function for inhibition shows a single maximum at 540 mµ, and is probably dependent upon a carotenoid pigment. No photoreceptor function has been demonstrated for a hemoprotein, apparently identical with cytochrome h, which occurs in high concentration in Spisula nerve.

Effects of activation pattern on nonisometric human skeletal muscle performance

2007 ◽  
Vol 102 (5) ◽  
pp. 1985-1991 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan D. Maladen ◽  
Ramu Perumal ◽  
Anthony S. Wexler ◽  
Stuart A. Binder-Macleod
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Instantaneous Frequency ◽  
Muscle Activation ◽  
Motor Units ◽  
Muscle Performance ◽  
Variable Frequency ◽  
Constant Frequency ◽  
Muscle Activation Patterns ◽  
Activation Rate ◽  
Discharge Patterns

During volitional muscle activation, motor units often fire with varying discharge patterns that include brief, high-frequency bursts of activity. These variations in the activation rate allow the central nervous system to precisely control the forces produced by the muscle. The present study explores how varying the instantaneous frequency of stimulation pulses within a train affects nonisometric muscle performance. The peak excursion produced in response to each stimulation train was considered as the primary measure of muscle performance. The results showed that at each frequency tested between 10 and 50 Hz, variable-frequency trains that took advantage of the catchlike property of skeletal muscle produced greater excursions than constant-frequency trains. In addition, variable-frequency trains that could achieve targeted trajectories with fewer pulses than constant-frequency trains were identified. These findings suggest that similar to voluntary muscle activation patterns, varying the instantaneous frequency within a train of pulses can be used to improve muscle performance during functional electrical stimulation.

scholarly journals Spectral dependency of the human pupillary light reflex. Influences of pre-adaptation and chronotype.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes Zauner ◽  
Herbert Plischke ◽  
Hans Strasburger
Keyword(s):  
Color Vision ◽  
Stimulus Duration ◽  
Light Stimulus ◽  
Monochromatic Light ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Pupillary Constriction ◽  
Additive Mixed Models ◽  
Light Stimuli ◽  
The Individual

Non-visual photoreceptors (ipRGCs) and rods both exert a strong influence on the human pupil, yet pupil models regularly use cone-derived sensitivity as their basis. This inconsistency is further exacerbated by the fact that circadian effects can modulate the wavelength sensitivity. We assessed the pupillary reaction to monochromatic light stimuli in the mesopic range. Pupil size for eighty-three healthy participants with normal color vision was measured in nine experimental protocols with varying series of continuous or discontinuous light stimuli under Ganzfeld conditions, presented after 90 seconds of dark adaptation. One hundred and fifty series of stimulation were conducted across three experiments, and were analyzed for wavelength-dependency on the pupillary constriction amplitude (PCA), conditional on experimental settings and individual traits. Traits were surveyed by questionnaire; color vision was tested by  Ishihara plates  or the  Lanthony D15  test. Data were analyzed with generalized additive mixed models (GAMM). The pupillary constriction amplitude response is consistent with L+M-cone derived sensitivity when the series of light stimuli is continuous, i.e., is not interrupted by periods of darkness, but not otherwise. The results also show that a mesopic illuminance weighing led to an overall best prediction of pupillary constriction compared to other types of illuminance measures. IpRGC influence on PCA is not readily apparent from the results. When we explored the interaction of chronotype and time of day on the wavelength dependency, differences consistent with ipRGC influence became apparent. The models indicate that subjects of differing chronotype show a heightened or lowered sensitivity to short wavelengths, depending on their time of preference. IpRGC influence is also seen in the post-illumination pupil reflex if the prior light-stimulus duration is one second. However, shorter wavelengths than expected become more important if the light-stimulus duration is fifteen or thirty seconds. The influence of sex on PCA was present, but showed no interaction with wavelength. Our results help to define the conditions, under which the different wavelength sensitivities in literature hold up for monochromatic light settings. The chronotype effect might signify a mechanism for strengthening the individual´s chronotype, but demands replication in a controlled study.

Spectral Categories in the Learning Behaviour of Blowflies

1993 ◽  
Vol 48 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 96-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolaus Troje
Keyword(s):  
Colour Vision ◽  
Light Stimulus ◽  
Monochromatic Light ◽  
Learning Behaviour ◽  
Conditioning Procedure ◽  
The Third ◽  
Wavelength Discrimination ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Flower Visiting ◽  
Classical Conditioning Procedure

Wavelength discrimination in the flower visiting blowfly Lucilia spec, was investigated in an attempt to elucidate the mechanisms underlying colour vision in this insect. The flies were subjected to a classical conditioning procedure in which they had to discriminate between a rewarded and an unrewarded monochromatic light stimulus. The results reveal large wavelength ranges within which no discrimination occurs, between which, however, a very distinct discrimination is found. The first range consists of the UV region up to 400 nm (UV). The second range comprises wavelengths between 400 nm and 515 nm (BLUE) and the third range all wavelengths longer than 515 nm (YELLOW). A simple model consisting of two colour opponent subsystems (R7p /R8p and R7y/R8y) can explain these results. Each of the two subsystems is assumed to evaluate only whether the sign of the difference between the excitations of R7 and R8 is positive or negative. For the whole system there are thus four possible conditions: p+y+, p+y-, p-y+, p-y-. Three of them correspond to the experimentally obtained wavelength ranges. The fourth condition (p+y-) might represent a still hypothetical PURPLE category in which the stimulus is made up of both short and long wavelengths.

Air Movement Evokes Electro-Olfactogram Oscillations in the Olfactory Epithelium and Modulates Olfactory Processing in a Slug

2006 ◽  
Vol 96 (4) ◽  
pp. 1939-1948 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iori Ito ◽  
Satoshi Watanabe ◽  
Yutaka Kirino
Keyword(s):  
Olfactory Epithelium ◽  
Phase Locking ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Constant Frequency ◽  
Flow Rates ◽  
Odor Concentration ◽  
Air Movement ◽  
Clean Air ◽  
Olfactory Processing ◽  
Mechanical Dynamics

In many animals, neurons in the olfactory system have been shown to respond not only to odorants but also to air movements. However, the manner in which the mechanical dynamics of odor stimulation affect olfactory processing remains poorly understood. Using a series of flow rates and odor concentrations from clean air to high-concentration vapors, we systematically analyzed the effects of air movement and odor concentration on olfactory processing. We extracellularly recorded local field potentials and spike units from the olfactory epithelium (OE) and tentacular nerve (TN), which connects the first and second relay centers of olfactory information, in the terrestrial slug Limax marginatus. We found that clean air puffs at a flow rate of 0.18 ml/s (gentle wind), but not high-concentration odor puffs at lower flow rates, induced electro-olfactogram (EOG) oscillations in the OE with a constant frequency (2.5 Hz), regardless of the odor. Surgically isolated OE preparations also showed these EOG oscillations, indicating that the oscillations arose from the OE independently of the downstream circuits. The EOG oscillations entrained the slower spontaneous TN oscillations (1–2 Hz) to the fixed rhythm (2.5 Hz). Spontaneous and odor-evoked units were phase-locked to the TN oscillation peaks. This TN oscillation entrainment by the EOG oscillations caused stronger phase-locking, specifically TN oscillation peaks and EOG oscillation troughs. Taken together, these results suggest that when odors are carried by a gentle wind, the air movement induces EOG oscillations and modulates rhythmic spike patterning of olfactory outputs to the second olfactory relay center in Limax.

Instrumentation for detecting channelling radiation in the high-voltage electron microscope

1983 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
pp. 318-319
Author(s):  
J. H. Butler ◽  
C. J. Humphreys
Keyword(s):  
Monochromatic Light ◽  
Incident Beam ◽  
Laboratory Frame ◽  
Relativistic Electrons ◽  
Voltage Electron ◽  
Dipole Emission ◽  
Sinusoidal Oscillations ◽  
Pass Through ◽  
Incident Beam Energy ◽  
Increasing Function

Electromagnetic radiation is emitted when fast (relativistic) electrons pass through crystal targets which are oriented in a preferential (channelling) direction with respect to the incident beam. In the classical sense, the electrons perform sinusoidal oscillations as they propagate through the crystal (as illustrated in Fig. 1 for the case of planar channelling). When viewed in the electron rest frame, this motion, a result of successive Bragg reflections, gives rise to familiar dipole emission. In the laboratory frame, the radiation is seen to be of a higher energy (because of the Doppler shift) and is also compressed into a narrower cone of emission (due to the relativistic “searchlight” effect). The energy and yield of this monochromatic light is a continuously increasing function of the incident beam energy and, for beam energies of 1 MeV and higher, it occurs in the x-ray and γ-ray regions of the spectrum. Consequently, much interest has been expressed in regard to the use of this phenomenon as the basis for fabricating a coherent, tunable radiation source.

Cytomembrane Preservation in Tissue Dehydrated Only With Glutaraldehyde and Epon 812 Resin

1973 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 320-321
Author(s):  
Daniel C. Pease
Keyword(s):  
Diffraction Pattern ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Unpublished Study ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Sectioned Material

A previous study demonstrated that tissue could be successfully infiltrated with 50% glutaraldehyde, and then subsequently polymerized with urea to create an embedment which retained cytomembrane lipids in sectioned material. As a result, the 180-190 Å periodicity characteristic of fresh, mammalian myelin was preserved in sections, as was a brilliant birefringence, and the capacity to bind OsO4 vapor in the hydrophobic bilayers. An associated (unpublished) study, carried out in co-operation with Drs. C.K. Akers and D.F. Parsons, demonstrated that the high concentration of glutaraldehyde (and urea) did not significantly alter the X-ray diffraction pattern of aldehyde-fixed, myelin. Thus, by itself, 50% glutaraldehyde has little effect upon cytomembrane systems and can be used with confidence for the first stages of dehydration.

Effects of carbamylcholine on chick embryo aggregate retina cell cultures

1988 ◽  
Vol 46 ◽  
pp. 350-351
Author(s):  
Glenn M. Cohen ◽  
Radharaman Ray
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cultures ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Retinal Cell ◽  
Cell Aggregates ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
In Ovo ◽  
Sterile Culture ◽  
Retinal Tissue ◽  
Synaptic Junctions ◽  
And Control

Retinal,cell aggregates develop in culture in a pattern similar to the in ovo retina, forming neurites first and then synapses. In the present study, we continuously exposed chick retinal cell aggregates to a high concentration (1 mM) of carbamylcholine (carbachol), an acetylcholine (ACh) analog that resists hydrolysis by acetylcholinesterase (AChE). This situation is similar to organophosphorus anticholinesterase poisoning in which the ACh level is elevated at synaptic junctions due to inhibition of AChE, Our objective was to determine whether continuous carbachol exposure either damaged cholino- ceptive neurites, cell bodies, and synaptic elements of the aggregates or influenced (hastened or retarded) their development.The retinal tissue was isolated aseptically from 11 day embryonic White Leghorn chicks and then enzymatically (trypsin) and mechanically (trituration) dissociated into single cells. After washing the cells by repeated suspension and low (about 200 x G) centrifugation twice, aggregate cell cultures (about l0 cells/culture) were initiated in 1.5 ml medium (BME, GIBCO) in 35 mm sterile culture dishes and maintained as experimental (containing 10-3 M carbachol) and control specimens.

The Fine Structure of Phloem Cells

1985 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 632-635
Author(s):  
James Cronshaw
Keyword(s):  
Structural Studies ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Phloem Tissue ◽  
Sieve Elements ◽  
Long Distance Transport ◽  
P Protein ◽  
Companion Cells ◽  
Electron Microscopical ◽  
Distance Transport

Long distance transport in plants takes place in phloem tissue which has characteristic cells, the sieve elements. At maturity these cells have sieve areas in their end walls with specialized perforations. They are associated with companion cells, parenchyma cells, and in some species, with transfer cells. The protoplast of the functioning sieve element contains a high concentration of sugar, and consequently a high hydrostatic pressure, which makes it extremely difficult to fix mature sieve elements for electron microscopical observation without the formation of surge artifacts. Despite many structural studies which have attempted to prevent surge artifacts, several features of mature sieve elements, such as the distribution of P-protein and the nature of the contents of the sieve area pores, remain controversial.

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