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A neural network to improve dim-light vision? Dendritic fields of first-order interneurons in the nocturnal bee Megalopta genalis

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Author

Summary, in English

Using the combined Golgi-electron microscopy technique, we have determined the three-dimensional dendritic fields of the short visual fibres (svf 1-3) and first-order interneurons or L-fibres (L1-4) within the first optic ganglion (lamina) of the nocturnal bee Megalopta genalis. Serial cross sections have revealed that the svf type 2 branches into one adjacent neural unit (cartridge) in layer A, the most distal of the three lamina layers A, B and C. All L-fibres, except L1-a, exhibit wide lateral branching into several neighbouring cartridges. L1-b shows a dendritic field of seven cartridges in layers A and C, dendrites of L2 target 13 cartridges in layer A, L3 branches over a total of 12 cartridges in layer A and three in layer C and L4 has the largest dendritic field size of 18 cartridges in layer C. The number of cartridges reached by the respective L-fibres is distinctly greater in the nocturnal bee than in the worker honeybee and is larger than could be estimated from our previous Golgi-light microscopy study. The extreme dorso-ventrally oriented dendritic field of L4 in M. genalis may, in addition to its potential role in spatial summation, be involved in edge detection. Thus, we have shown that the amount of lateral spreading present in the lamina provides the anatomical basis for the required spatial summation. Theoretical and future physiological work should further elucidate the roles that this lateral spreading plays to improve dim-light vision in nocturnal insects.

Publishing year

2005

Language

English

Pages

313-320

Publication/Series

Cell and Tissue Research

Volume

322

Issue

2

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Springer

Topic

  • Cell Biology

Keywords

  • apposition compound eye
  • visual system
  • first optic ganglion
  • spatial
  • nocturnal bee
  • summation
  • Megalopta genalis (Insecta)

Status

Published

Research group

  • Lund Vision Group

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1432-0878