Welcome to the new version of CaltechAUTHORS. Login is currently restricted to library staff. If you notice any issues, please email coda@library.caltech.edu
Published March 1959 | Published
Journal Article Open

Unidirectional Movement Fibres from A Proprioceptive Organ of the Crab, Carcinus Maenas

Abstract

1. The proprioceptive organ of the shore crab Carcinus maenas, which signals all proprioceptive sensation from the joint between propodite and dactylopodite, has been shown to contain sense cells receptive to position as well as to movement. 2. Certain cells of the organ increase their discharge frequency in response to greater degrees of flexion, while other endings respond to greater degrees of extension. Movement has little effect on the frequency of the position fibres. 3. Cells responding to movement in one direction only are present, certain ones signalling fiexion and others extension. The most sensitive undirectional movement fibres are almost completely independent of position and velocity. They provide the crab with an extremely sensitive movement sense not as yet reported in other proprioceptive mechanisms. 4. Both position-sensitive and movement-sensitive cells show a wide range of thresholds. 5. Cells which cannot be strictly classified as either position or movement sensitive have also been found. 6. By tracing the origin of the signals to the cell bodies, it appears that movement fibres have on the whole larger cell bodies than position fibres and are more proximally located. 7. Flexor and extensor movement cells appear to lie on different sides of elastic strand. 8. The question of how unidirectional sensitivity may be achieved is discussed.

Additional Information

Published by Company of Biologists 1959. (Received 14 July 1958) The authors wish to express their appreciation to members of the staff of the Zoological Laboratory, Cambridge, for providing facilities and equipment necessary for this investigation and for inviting us to work in the Zoological Laboratory during the tenure of our Fellowships. [C.A.G.W. and E.G.B. were] John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellow[s].

Attached Files

Published - WIEjeb59.pdf

Files

WIEjeb59.pdf
Files (2.4 MB)
Name Size Download all
md5:0d288497a447f4f379bc3a7d7a9606bf
2.4 MB Preview Download

Additional details

Created:
August 21, 2023
Modified:
October 17, 2023