Advances in Physiology Education, Vol 263, Issue 6 7-11, Copyright © 1992 by American Physiological Society
Sensory adaptation: extracellular recording from locust wing hinge stretch receptor
R. M. Robertson
Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Good student laboratory exercises that do not require much manipulative or
technical expertise of the student and that have minor equipment demands
are hard to find. One experiment that has these desirable characteristics
is the description of adaptation of the firing frequency of the locust
forewing stretch receptor after elevation of the wing. Unambiguous
recordings of the activity of the stretch receptor can be made using a
simple monopolar hook electrode inserted into the thoracic cavity of a
decapitated locust. Elevation movements of the forewing are simple to
perform and measure. The response of the stretch receptor as a function of
time and the stimulus history is monitored. Within a relatively short time
it is possible to collect enough data to characterize thoroughly the
adequate stimulus of a single sensory neuron. There is considerable scope
for student innovation, and several important concepts of sensory
physiology can be discussed.
