PROCESSING OF SENSORY INPUT FROM THE FEMORAL CHORDOTONAL ORGAN BY SPIKING INTERNEURONES OF STICK INSECTS BY ANSGAR BUSCHGES

The femoral chordotonal organ (ChO) of the right middle leg of the inactive stick insect Carausius morosus was stimulated by applying movements having a ramp-like time course, while recordings were made from local and interganglionic interneurones in the anterior ventral median part of the ganglion. Position, velocity and acceleration of the movements were varied independently and the interneurones were categorized on the basis of their responses to the changes in these parameters. Position-sensitivity was always accompanied by responses to velocity and/or acceleration. Velocity-sensitive responses were excitatory or inhibitory and were produced by elongation or relaxation, or by both. In some cases, velocity-sensitive neurones were also affected by position and acceleration. Acceleration responses were always excitatory and were often found in neurones that showed no effects of velocity or position. It is inferred that sensory input from different receptors in the ChO is processed by single interneurones. No inter-neurone in the recording region was found to be directly involved in the resistance reflex of the extensor tibiae motoneurones, elicited by stimulation of the ChO