Serotonin-immunoreactive neurones in the visual system of the praying mantis: an immunohistochemical, confocal laser scanning and electron microscopic study
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Abstract
The distribution, number, and morphology of serotonin-immunoreactive (5-HTi) neurones
in the optic lobe of the praying mantis Tenodera sinensis were studied using conventional
microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Five or six 5-HTi neurones connect
the lobula complex with the medulla, and at least 50 5-HTi neurones appear to be confined
to the medulla. In addition, a few large 5-HTi processes from the protocerebrum supply
the lobula complex, and two large 5-HTi processes from the protocerebrum ramify in
the medulla and lamina, where they show wide field arborisations. In order to provide
a basis for understanding the action of serotonin in the lamina, the ultrastructure
of its 5-HTi terminals was examined by conventional and immunohistochemical electron
microscopy. The 5-HTi profiles were filled with dense core vesicles and made synapses.
Output synapses from 5-HTi profiles outnumbered inputs by about 3 to 1. The terminals
of the 5-HTi neurones were in close contact with cells of various types, including
large monopolar cells, but close apposition to photoreceptor terminals was rare, and
no synapses were found between 5-HTi terminals and photoreceptor terminals.
Copyright 1999 Elsevier Science B.V.