Regulation of conduction velocity in axons from near-field receptors of the crayfish antennule

The antennular flagella of the crayfish Procambarus clarkii each possess a linear array of near-field receptors, termed standing feathered sensilla, that are extremely sensitive to movement of the surrounding water. Previously it had been shown that, within each flagellum, the axonal conduction velocity of the sensory neuron pair associated with each feathered sensillum was linearly related to the position of the sensillum along the flagellar axis. In the current studies I show that the conduction velocity of axons within the proximal three segments of the antennules, between the flagellum and the brain, is somewhat higher than the corresponding conduction velocity of the same axons in the flagellum, especially for those whose flagellar conduction velocity is between 1 and 3 m s(-1), even though there is no net change in axonal diameter within this part of the afferent pathway. One consequence of this change in axonal conduction properties is an effective compression of the temporal spread - potentially by as much as tenfold - which otherwise would occur in arrival times of initial spikes from each sensillum following a mechanical stimulus to the antennule. Furthermore, the pattern signature of initial spike volleys at the brain following a global hydrodynamic stimulus to the flagellum is remarkably consistent and conceivably could be recognized as such by central processing centers. I conclude that conduction velocity adjustments improve temporal summation and resolution from input volleys that originate in the highly sensitive and, hence, inherently noisy near-field receptors, thereby more effectively triggering startle response circuitry at the approach of potential predators.