Motor and behavioural effects induced by putative neurotransmitter injection into the optic lobe of the cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis.

This paper presents a technique using local injections of different drugs directly into the optic lobe of Sepia. The cholinomimetic drugs induce a general decrease of the motricity, muscle tone, frequency of respiratory movements and decoloration of the animal. Dopamine and noradrenaline produce the same complex motor effects obtained by chronic electrical stimulation. Serotonin induces complex effects, particularly on the coloration. Some serotoninergic synapses could be implicated in the triggering of colour patterns.