Electrophysiological properties of neurons of insects.

Dorsal Unpaired Median (DUM) neurons are neurosecretory neurons of the insect central nervous system. The efferent DUM neurons are located at the dorsal median site of the ganglia and have an influence on the movement of insects. DUM neurones are one of the only types of insect neurons that are able to generate spontaneous action potentials in the cell body. In most other neurons action potentials are generated in distant branches of the cell body.

    

Figure 1.                                                                Figure 2.

Figure 1 shows action potentials in the cell body of isolated DUM neurons of L.migratoria in primary cellculture (fig. 2). 

Current projects about DUM  neurons:

More information about the Research on Insect Neurons, please contact Prof. Dr. Emmy Van Kerkhove or Prof. Dr. Jean-Michel Rigo.