Dermal photoreceptors located in the mantle of Lymnaea stagnalis were histologically and physiologically characterized. Our previous study demonstrated that the shadow response from dermal photoreceptors induces the whole-body withdrawal response. Through the interneuron, RPeD11, we detected that the light-off response indirectly originated from a dermal photoreceptor. Previous observations, ba...

Immune defence is an important determinant of organismal fitness. While theoretical models based on tradeoffs in resource allocation predict quantitative immune traits to be subject stabilizing selection due associated energetic costs and self-harm, empirical studies report mainly positive directional selection. This discrepancy may arise from multiple ecological factors that vary nature could ...

Rhythmic feeding motor output from the buccal ganglia of Lymnaea stagnalis was evoked by tonic depolarization of the pattern-initiating interneurone SO in the isolated central nervous system. Perfusion with 10~moll~' serotonin (5-HT) led to a reduction in frequency of the SO-driven rhythm, and in some cases rhythmic activity was completely blocked. The frequency reduction was predominantly due ...

The suitability of neurons of the freshwater snail Lymnaea stagnalis as a test system for the neurotoxic side effects of antitumour Vinca alkaloids has been investigated, by studying the process of paracrystal induction by Vinca antitumour agents. Three Vinca alkaloids have been compared: the natural vinblastine and vincristine and the semisynthetic vindesine. They appear to induce two types of...

Stress has been shown to both impair and enhance learning, long-term memory (LTM) formation, and/or its recall. The pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis, both detects and responds to the scent of a crayfish predator with multiple stress-related behavioral responses. Using both behavioral and electrophysiological evidence, this investigation is a first attempt to characterize how an environmentally rel...

In the freshwater environment species often rely on chemosensory information to modulate behavior. The pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis, is a model species used to characterize the causal mechanisms of long-term memory (LTM) formation. Chemical stressors including crayfish kairomones and KCl enhance LTM formation (≥24 h) in Lymnaea; however, how these stressors are sensed and the mechanism by whic...

Aerial respiration in the fresh water mollusc Lymnaea stagnalis is controlled by an identified network of central pattern generating neurons (CPG). The CPG underlying central respiratory rhythmogenesis is comprised of three cells: namely RPeD1, VD4 and IP3I. IP3I and VD4 control expiration and inspiration, respectively, whereas RPeD1 initiates respiratory rhythmogenesis. Both in vivo and in vit...

Several recent studies have demonstrated that the freshwater pulmonate snail Lymnaea stagnalis is extremely sensitive to metals (Co, Ni, Pb) in chronic exposures. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the acute and chronic sensitivity of L. stagnalis to Cu and investigate the underlying mechanism(s) of toxic action. A 96-h LC50 of 31μg L(-1) Cu was estimated indicating L. stagnalis...

Sometimes life is just too stressful. Whether you’re a freshwater snail struggling to breathe in a dwindling puddle or a student facing an assessment that could change your future, it can be hard to form memories when the pressure is on; even the smartest can struggle. ‘We have been exploring how stress alters both memory formation and the ability to recall memory for a number of years’, says K...