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Glial responses during evoked behaviors in the leech
Author(s) -
Deitmer Joachim W.,
Kristan William B.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
glia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.954
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1098-1136
pISSN - 0894-1491
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-1136(199904)26:2<186::aid-glia9>3.0.co;2-e
Subject(s) - leech , hirudo medicinalis , neuropil , biology , neuroscience , neuroglia , astrocyte , central nervous system , anatomy , world wide web , computer science
Glial cells can respond with membrane potential changes during electrically stimulated neuronal activity (Kuffler, Proc R Soc Lond B 168:1–21, 1967; Orkand, Oxford University Press, 1995). Their role in contributing to, or controlling, neural circuits underlying behaviors, however, is completely unknown. We have used semi‐intact preparations of the leech Hirudo medicinalis , where behaviors can be elicited and monitored (Kristan et al., J Neurobiol 27:380–389, 1995), to record membrane responses of identified glial cells during whole‐body shortening and during fictive swimming. Giant glial cells are located in the neuropil of segmental ganglia, where neuronal axons and dendrites establish numerous synaptic contacts (Coggeshall and Fawcett, J Neurophysiol 27:229–289, 1964). We report here that these glial cells hyperpolarize when the whole‐body‐shortening response is evoked but not during fictive swimming. To our knowledge, this is the first report that associates a specific behavior with glial cell responses. GLIA 26:186–189, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.