Where do nitergic and GABAergic neurons lie in the metamorphic pathway of Nassarius obsoletus?

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Matthew Welch (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Esther Leise

Abstract: The neurotransmitters gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) and nitric oxide (NO) play a role in maintaining the larval state in the eastern mud snail, Nassarius obsoletus, but how GABAergic and nitrergic neurons are organized in the neural circuit that controls metamorphosis is unknown. Because of previous work by other members of my laboratory, I hypothesized that GABAergic neurons would be upstream from the nitrergic ones. Larval N. obsoletus were exposed to various combinations of GABAergic and nitrergic compounds in bath application and the resulting numbers of metamorphosed individuals were counted after 24 and 48 hours.. I performed multiple sets of experiments and while some indicated that GABAergic neurons were upstream from nitrergic ones the data as a whole did not reveal a clear organizational scheme to this pathway, so I suggest instead that GABA and NO may function in separate pathways to influence the onset of metamorphosis.

Additional Information

Publication
Thesis
Language: English
Date: 2015
Keywords
Apical Ganglion, GABA, Metamorphosis, Mollusc, Neurons, Nitric Oxide
Subjects
Nassarius obsoletus $x Metamorphosis
GABA $x Physiological effect
Nitric oxide $x Physiological effect

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