The circadian rhythm and photosensitivity of small impulses of the Bulla eye

Abstract

The eye of the mollusk Bulla gouldiana contains a pacemaker that generates a circadian rhythm in compound action potentials (CAPs) in the optic nerve. In this paper, we present evidence of a second circadian rhythm in the optic nerve of the eye maintained in darkness at 15 degrees C. This is a rhythm in the frequency of small (10-40 microV) neural impulses that occurs about 12 h out-of-phase with the rhythm in CAPs. Typically, the small-spike frequency is at a minimum within an hour of the peak in CAP frequency and is maximal during the subjective night. Like the CAP rhythm, the phase of the small-spike rhythm is determined by the prior light/dark cycle. A rebound in small-spike activity following the end of a light pulse and the presence of photoinhibited impulses in surgically reduced eyes suggests that the cells that generate the small-spikes may be photoreceptors that are inhibited by light. In addition, by using isolated nervous system preparations, we have found that small-spikes occur in the two optic nerves in a one-for-one relationship immediately following a light-to-dark transition. This inter-eye communication may be involved in the coupling of the ocular pacemakers.