Neural circuit mediating tentacle withdrawal in Helix aspersa, with specific reference to the competence of the motor neuron C3.

The tentacle withdrawal reflex in the terrestrial snail Helix aspersa involves bending and retraction of the tentacles. When elicited by mechanical stimulation of the tentacle, the reflex is mediated by the conjoint action of the central and peripheral nervous systems. The neural circuit underlying the stimulus-response pathways was studied in vitro using a combination of morphological and physiological techniques. Sensory input caused by stimulation of the nose (situated at the superior tentacle's tip) first passes into the tentacle ganglion. Motor fibers are likely excited in the tentacle ganglion to form a peripheral stimulus-response pathway. While still in the tentacle ganglion, the excitation caused by a brief stimulus is transformed into a prolonged neuronal discharge. This modified signal travels, via the olfactory nerve, to the cerebral ganglion where it excites the giant motor neuron C3 along with numerous smaller motor neurons. Afferent input to C3 also arrives from several other sources. The afferent convergence is followed by a marked divergence of C3's output. C3 innervates the muscles mediating both tentacle retraction and tentacle bending through multiple cerebral nerves. Thus C3's pattern of effector innervation allows this single cell to elicit and coordinate both components of the tentacle withdrawal reflex. Lesion experiments indicate that C3 is responsible for 85% of the central contribution to tentacle retraction, though C3 is actually sufficient to mediate maximal muscle contraction as evidenced by intracellular stimulation. In addition to C3, three groups of putative central motor neurons were identified through nerve backfills and nerve recordings. The additional motor neurons mediating tentacle retraction are important for maximizing the rate of muscle contraction, whereas those mediating tentacle bending are likely more important for nondefensive behaviors. These neurons are arranged in parallel with C3, but unlike C3, each of these neurons innervates only a single effector or portion thereof. Given C3's direct innervation of multiple effectors and its sufficiency to evoke strong responses in those effectors, we conclude that C3 is paramount in eliciting and coordinating tentacle withdrawal.