Anesthetic stimulation of insect water receptors.

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Abstract
Halothane, chloroform and carbon tetrachloride, in the vapor and liquid phases, stimulated the water receptor of the blowfly Phormia regina. There were 3 successive phases of response to long-lasting stimulation by halothane: stimulation of the water receptor for the first 19 s, narcosis for the next 80 s and stimulation of all receptors after 80 s. The behavior of the fly was correlated with these phases. A thirsty fly extended its proboscis and attempted to drink during the 1st phase, withdrew its proboscis during the 2nd and extended in a manner characteristic of aversion in the 3rd. A water-satiated fly responded only in the 3rd phase. The labeled line and the across-fiber hypothesis of sensory coding applied to the blowfly. At the level of sensory transduction the data did not rule out the possibility that streaming potentials were normally involved in stimulation of the water receptor. They were consistent with a hypothesis that neutral narcotics stimulated the water receptor by facilitating the passage of Na+ through the dendritic membrane.