Wind-evoked escape running of the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus

Following the description of some typical variables of escape running in the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus in a companion paper, this study gives an account of the physiological characteristics of identified interganglionic cell types recorded during normal and wind-evoked walking. 1. Intracellular recording and staining of axons in the prothoracic ganglion revealed a group of intersegmental wind-sensitive neurones with large axons in the laterodorsal tract and somata in the pro- or mesothoracic ganglion. These interneurones rapidly conduct signals to their projections in the thoracic and cephalic ganglia. Wind pulses evoke strong, non-habituating spike reactions, which tend to summate during repeated stimulation. 2. During walking, the sensory response to wind stimulation is suppressed in a velocity-dependent manner in all ascending interneurones tested (yV=40). During slow walking, the sensory responsiveness is merely reduced, whereas it is completely blocked during fast escape running bouts. Conversely, during pauses occurring during wind-evoked escape behaviour, the sensory responsiveness i