Structure and function of the neural connecting strands between the neuromasts of fish

Abstract

1. The subepidermal connecting strands, which link the neuromasts of the lateral-line system inTilapia leucosticta, consist of unmyeliaated nerve fibers surrounded by Schwann cells. 2. Direct recording of nerve impulses from the strands, by means of suction electrodes, has demonstrated their role in the transfer of information. 3. Recordings from the lateral-line nerve, sectioned at various levels while the connecting strands were kept intact, show that spontaneous activity in the lateral-line nerve is laterally inhibited in the region of the neuromasts. 4. This inhibition, amounting to a loss of 25% of the spontaneous activity on the average, occurs in the absence of central influences. 5. The functional significance of the strands, with respect to the lateral-line system and the organism as a whole, is discussed.