Cholinergic Action on the Heart of the Leech, Hirudo Medicinalis
Open Access
- 1 September 1986
- journal article
- research article
- Published by The Company of Biologists in Journal of Experimental Biology
- Vol. 125 (1) , 205-224
- https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.125.1.205
Abstract
Experiments were performed to determine the role of acetylcholine (ACh) in neuromuscular transmission in the heart of the leech Hirudo medicinalis. Our results indicate that heart muscle cells have nicotinic acetylcholine receptors that open in the presence of ACh, thereby increasing membrane conductance. The HE motor neurone is probably cholinergic and engages these receptors in its neuromuscular transmission, while the HA modulatory neurone is probably not cholinergic.This publication has 26 references indexed in Scilit:
- Neuromuscular transmission in longitudinal muscle of the leech,Hirudo medicinalisJournal of Comparative Physiology A, 1978
- Cholinesterase is associated with the basal lamina at the neuromuscular junctionNature, 1978
- Dissociation of α-bungarotoxin binding and receptor block in the rat superior cervical ganglionBrain Research, 1977
- Effects of α-toxins fromBungarus multicinctus andBungarus caeruleus on cholinergic responses inAplysia neuronesBrain Research, 1976
- Neuronal control of heartbeat in the medicinal leechJournal of Comparative Physiology A, 1976
- Postjunctional membrane specialization at cholinergic myoneural junctions in the leechJournal of Comparative Neurology, 1973
- Neuromuscular junctions in the leechJournal of Comparative Neurology, 1973
- Neuromuscular junctions on the muscle cells in the central nervous system of the leech,Hirudo medicinalisJournal of Comparative Neurology, 1971
- The effect of acetylcholine and 5-hydroxy-tryptamine on electrophysiological recordings from muscle fibres of the leech, Hirudo medicinalisComparative Biochemistry and Physiology, 1968
- A "DIRECT-COLORING" THIOCHOLINE METHOD FOR CHOLINESTERASESJournal of Histochemistry & Cytochemistry, 1964