Distribution and morphology of synapses on nonspiking local interneurones in the thoracic nervous system of the locust.

The structure and distribution of synapses on nonspiking local interneurones in the metathoracic ganglion of the locust was revealed by electron microscopy following intracellular injection of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Before staining, each interneurone was characterized physiologically as nonspiking and its output effects on motor neurones innervating muscles in a hindleg were investigated. Three nonspiking interneurones of different morphologies, each typical of a previously described population, were selected for detailed study. The first has a dorsal soma and ipsilateral neuropilar branches, the second a ventral soma and ipsilateral branches, and the third a ventral soma and contralateral branches. The somata have few trophospongial invaginations, and most of their volume is occupied by the nucleus. The initial parts of the primary neurites are either wrapped in glia or isolated in tracts from the neuropile and thus do not participate in synaptic interactions. Some of the larger secondary neurites are also wrapped in glia, but others both make and receive synaptic contacts. Output synapses have an array of some 500-1,600 round, agranular vesicles (diameter 47.0 +/- 5.7 nm; mean +/- S.D., n = 97) associated with a bar-shaped presynaptic density up to 0.3 micron long. Two postsynaptic processes, whose diameter can vary greatly, are usually associated with each presynaptic density. Processes making input synapses onto nonspiking local interneurones typically contain round, agranular vesicles and often make several contacts within a few microns. Serial reconstructions from one of the interneurones revealed input and output synapses intermingled on the larger processes with outputs dominating by a factor of 3:1, whereas on some of the thinner processes only input synapses are present. In the other two interneurones, however, both input and output synapses are present on the fine branches. No feature of the structure or distribution of synapses observed here on the nonspiking local interneurones distinguishes them from spiking neurones in the same ganglia.