Spike times encode stimulus values in many sensory systems, but it is generally unknown whether such temporal variations are decoded (i.e., whether they influence downstream networks that control behavior). In the present study, we directly address this decoding problem by quantifying both sensory encoding and decoding in the leech. By mechanically stimulating the leech body wall while recordin...

Animals continuously decide among different behaviors, but, even in invertebrates, the mechanisms underlying choice and decision are unknown. In this article, leech spontaneous behavior was tracked and quantified for up to 12 h. We obtained a statistical characterization, in space and time domains, of the decision processes underlying selection of behavior in the leech. We found that the spatia...

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was measured in cholinergic and non-cholinergic neurons in the central nervous system of the leech. Intracellular AChE was assayed by pretreating intact ganglia with echothiophate to inhibit selectively extracellular enzyme. The concentration of intracellular AChE in cholinergic neurons was 3- to 24-fold higher than that in non-cholinergic cells. The propert...

In Spain leeches have been used both in popular and scientific medicine throughout its history. In this study we analyze the historical fluctuations of leech therapy. At the start of the 20th century it was still being used in in scientific medicine, as can be seen in the treatment administered to Germán Gamazo, a minister during the reign of Alfonso XII and the regency of Archduchess Maria Chr...

introduction: foreign bodies in the upper airway are one of the most challenging otolaryngology emergencies and have various presentations depending on their physical properties and location. leeches are blood-sucking hermaphroditic worms that vary in color, length, and shape. they usually reside in fresh-water streams and lakes. when rural untreated water is drunk, leeches may localize in the ...

The distribution of the ribbon leech, NepMlopsis obscwra, was examined in the Central Lowland and Missouri Coteau regions of North Dakota. The leech was found in 12 of3S ponds sampled during a two-year period. Leeches were trapped with throated metal cans and burlap sacks baited with frozen fish parts. Leech ocamence was positively correlated with maximum depth, mean conductivity, and percent l...

In June 2014, a male stray dog was recovered at Ente Nazionale di Protezione Animali (ENPA) kennel of Manfredonia, Apulia region, showing oral bleeding and physical prostration. The dog fell in a water canal and was trapped. During the clinical examination, a specimen of leech was revealed into its oral cavity. The parasite, probably entered by drinking unfiltered and contaminated water, has be...

Leeches are the very rare types of airway foreign body. Here we report a rare case of a 40-year-old woman with tracheal leech infestation. A 40-year-old woman presented 2-month history of dyspnea, occasional haemoptysis. There were foreign body sensation in throat, cough and hoarseness. Computed Tomography (CT) revealed some soft tissue shadow in the upper trachea. Eventually a 5 cm long living...

BACKGROUND The adult medicinal leech central nervous system (CNS) is capable of regenerating specific synaptic circuitry after a mechanical lesion, displaying evidence of anatomical repair within a few days and functional recovery within a few weeks. In the present work, spatiotemporal changes in molecular distributions during this phenomenon are explored. Moreover, the hypothesis that neural r...