Premium
The penetration of ionic lanthanum into the central nervous system of the tick, Amblyomma variegatum
Author(s) -
HART R. J.,
BEADLE D. J.,
BOTHAM R. P.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
physiological entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.693
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1365-3032
pISSN - 0307-6962
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3032.1980.tb00249.x
Subject(s) - biology , septate junctions , tick , amblyomma americanum , central nervous system , nervous system , ultrastructure , lanthanum , anatomy , amblyomma variegatum , zoology , ecology , ixodidae , cell junction , neuroscience , biochemistry , inorganic chemistry , chemistry , cell
. The ultrastructure of the tick central nervous system resembles that of insects except that the perineurial layer of specialized glial cells is less well developed in the tick. In particular, the cells are not connected by tight or septate junctions. Probably as a consequence, ionic lanthanum penetrates the entire central nervous system of the tick, whereas it fails to penetrate the perineurium of insects. These observations suggest that ticks lack the ‘blood—brain barrier’ which protects the insect nervous system.