The morphology of local non‐spiking interneurones in the metathoracic ganglion of the locust

Abstract

Abstract The morphology is described of a number of non‐spiking interneurones in the metathoracic ganglion of the locust that control motor neurones innervating muscles in the coxa and femur of a hind leg. The nonspiking interneurones are penetrated with microelectrodes, physiologically characterized, injected with cobalt, and the stain subsequently intensified with silver. The interneurones have diverse shapes but all are local, intraganglionic interneurones. Their cell bodies are 10–20 μm in diameter and lie in either the ventral or dorsal layers of cell bodies that form a cortex around the ganglion. The branches of the interneurones are profuse and overlap those of the motor neurones that they affect. One interneurone may have branches in both the most ventral and the most dorsal areas of the neuropile. Most interneurones have branches only in one half of the ganglion, but one interneurone has extensive and asymmetrical regions of branches in both halves of the ganglion (fig. 4). Similar physiological effects can be mediated by interneurones with distinct morphologies. For example, the single slow extensor motor neurone is excited by six distinct morphological types of interneurones (figs. 10–13). It is suggested that as many as 65% of the neurones within a ganglion may be local interneurones, many of which in turn may be non‐spiking.