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GABA‐, histamine‐, and FMRFamide‐immunoreactivity in the visual, vestibular and central nervous systems of Hermissenda crassicornis
Author(s) -
Webber Marissa P.,
Thomson James W. S.,
BucklandNicks Johnny,
Croll Roger P.,
Wyeth Russell C.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of comparative neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.855
H-Index - 209
eISSN - 1096-9861
pISSN - 0021-9967
DOI - 10.1002/cne.24286
Subject(s) - biology , fmrfamide , neuroscience , central nervous system , vestibular system , nervous system , neuropeptide , gabaergic , suboesophageal ganglion , ganglion , anatomy , receptor , biochemistry , inhibitory postsynaptic potential
Hermissenda crassicornis is a model for studying the molecular and cellular basis for classical conditioning, based on its ability to associate light with vestibular stimulation. We used confocal microscopy to map histamine (HA), FMRF‐amide, and γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) immunoreactivity in the central nervous system (CNS), eyes, optic ganglia and statocysts of the nudibranchs. For HA immunoreactivity, we documented both consistently and variably labeled CNS structures across individuals. We also noted minor differences in GABA immunoreactivity in the CNS compared to previous work on Hermissenda . Contrary to expectations, we found no evidence for GABA inside the visual or vestibular systems. Instead, we found only FMRFamide‐ and HA immunoreactivity (FMRFamide: 4 optic ganglion cells, 4–5 hair cells; HA: 3 optic ganglion cells, 8 hair cells). Overall, our results can act as basis for comparisons of nervous systems across nudibranchs, and suggest further exploration of intraspecific plasticity versus evolutionary changes in gastropod nervous systems.