The morphology and ultrastructure of common inhibitory motor neurones in the thorax of the locust

The morphologies of three common inhibitory motor neurones which innervate muscles of a hind leg and the homologous three neurones which innervate muscles in a middle leg are described in relation to known commissures, tracts, and areas of neuropile in their ganglia. The neurones were stained individually by the intracellular injection of cobalt, and the ultra‐structure of common inhibitor 1 (CI 1 ) in the metathoracic ganglion was revealed by the intracellular injection of herseradish peroxidase. Homologous inhibitory motor neurones in the meso% and metathoracic ganglia have similar shapes. CI 1 has axons in nerves 3, 4, and 5, but common inhibitors 2 and 3 (CI 2 , CI 3 ) have only a single axon in nerve 5. They nevertheless all share many features in common. All have large (60 70 μm diameter) cell bodies in the ventral cortex near the midline, well separated from those of the excitatory leg motor neurones. Their primary neurites run dorsally and laterally and send many fine branches into the dorsal and lateral neuropile, and some fine branches medially. None enter the ventral neuropile. CI 1 and CI 2 have a small branch that arises close to the cell body and arborises on either side of the midline. When examined with the electron microscope, CI 1 was not found to make any output synapses, even though some of its fine branches are varicose and end in bulbous swellings. These were seen to be packed with mitochondria but not vesicles. Input synapses tend to be grouped together on the secondary neurites and, more especially, on the finer branches and their spines. The majority of processes presynaptic to CI 1 contain round agranular vesicles.