Changes in the auditory neuropil after deafferentation in adult grasshoppers (Schistocerca gregaria).
Arthropod Struct Dev
; 39(1): 26-32, 2010 Jan.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-19861171
ABSTRACT
Nervous systems are capable of structural adjustments. Such plastic changes also occur in the auditory system of the locust Schistocerca gregaria in which a deafferentation leads to compensatory mechanisms, such as collateral sprouting of interneurons. In this study we further investigated lesion related changes in the major auditory neuropil, the median ventral association center (mVAC) of the metathoracic ganglion. The auditory sensory organ of adult locusts was unilaterally extirpated and the mVAC was histologically and immunocytochemically analyzed until 20 days postoperative. Measurements of the neuropil area in transverse sections showed a decrease in size. The putative transmitter of the afferents, acetylcholine, was investigated by acetylcholinesterase histochemistry. Comparisons of staining intensities in the intact and deafferentated mVAC indicated that the amount of acetylcholinesterase in the deafferentated mVAC decreased shortly after the operation. Both, the decreases in size of the mVAC as well as that in acetylcholinesterase histochemistry were only less than 10% compared to the controls. The immunoreactivity against the neurotransmitters gamma-amino butyric acid and serotonin was not influenced by the deafferentation.
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Neurópilo
/
Gafanhotos
/
Neurônios Aferentes
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2010
Tipo de documento:
Article