Long-term sensitization in the common snail: electrophysiological correlates in the defense behavior command neurons.

Abstract

It was found that an increase in the excitability of command neurons of the reflex takes place during long-term sensitization (LTS). It was demonstrated that two factors are the cause of the increase in excitability: a depolarizational shift of the membrane potential of these cells (both a decrease in the initial resting potential and an accumulation of depolarization in the course of tactile stimulation), and a decrease in the threshold of generation of the action potentials. Injection of amphetamine leads to the appearance of sensitization, but its mechanisms only partially coincide with those in the case of LTS.