Propagation of calcium waves in the Hermissenda type B photoreceptor

Hermissenda crassicornis is a seaslug that can be classically conditioned to associate light (the conditioned stimulus) with turbulence (the unconditioned stimulus). Of particular importance is discovering what aspect of the light and turbulence interaction within the type B photoreceptor mediates memory storage. The purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that calcium released by phototransduction combines non-linearly with calcium resulting from GABA stimulation by evaluating whether GABA can produce a calcium wave that reaches the soma. Simulations show that GABA stimulation causes an increase in calcium in the terminal branches which is propagated along the axon toward the soma. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.