Brain cells that command sexual behavior in the snail Helix aspersa.

Evidence is presented indicating that the mesocerebrum of the terrestrial snail, Helix aspersa, has a major role in the control of sexual behavior. Morphological and physiological results demonstrate a right-sided bias in the mesocerebrum that is consistent with the fact that sexual behavior is executed almost entirely on the animal's right side. Thus, the right lobe has 23% more neurons than the left lobe, and they are 24% larger. Excitatory synaptic inputs derive predominately from neurons on the right side. The axons of right-side mesocerebral neurons go to the right pedal ganglion almost without exception, and even the axons of left-side neurons travel mostly in right-side connective nerves. Direct evidence for a role of the mesocerebrum in commanding sexual behavior comes from experiments with electrical stimulation. Extracellular stimulation of the right mesocerebrum, but not the left mesocerebrum, resulted in movements of the "love dart" sac and the penis. Intracellular stimulation of neurons in the right mesocerebrum evoked measurable movements of either the dart sac or the penis, or both, in 17% of the cells tested. The latencies ranged between 5 and 50 s. In an intact animal, these movements would cause a release of the dart and an eversion of the penis. The motor effects were mediated through the right cerebropedal connective and the pedal nerve NCPD, with the motorneurons probably situated in the right pedal ganglion.