Interneurones Co-Ordinating the Ventilatory Movements of the Thoracic Spiracles in the Locust

Abstract

A pair of interneurones has been identified by intracellular recording and staining which co-ordinates the movements of the thoracic spiracles in the ventilatory rhythm. An interneurone has its cell body on the left or on the right side of the metathoracic ganglion and an axon which ascends to the other thoracic ganglia in the contralateral connective. Each interneurone produces bursts of spikes in time with the inspiratory phase of ventilation. These spikes evoke inhibitory post-synaptic potentials (IPSPs) in thoracic spiracular closer motor neurones. Both interneurones synapse upon the closer motor neurones in each thoracic segment. These connexions, which may be direct, inhibit the spiking of the closer motor neurones during inspiration. The interneurones do not appear to have an innate rhythmicity but instead receive a periodic synaptic input which inhibits their spikes during expiration. The underlying cause of the spikes is less clear. Apart from brief periods at the start and end of a burst, the spikes occur at a constant frequency that is independent of the ventilatory rate. The pattern of the spiracular motor output could be altered by manipulating the frequency and number of spikes in an interneurone. When the frequency of spikes in the interneurone was raised, the motor bursts had a higher initial frequency and were of briefer duration; when the frequency was lowered, the motor bursts were of lower initial frequency and of longer overall duration. Altering the spikes in one interneurone, however, could not affect the frequency of the ventilatory rhythm, or reset the rhythm.