Central inhibition of an identified mechanosensory interneuron in the crayfish.

Inhibitory input from crayfish mechanoreceptors is mediated polysynaptically to sensory interneurons. An identifiable sensory interneuron, the caudal photoreceptor (CPR), has been used as a model system to characterize inhibitory intermediate cells. A survey of the abdominal connectives, by antidromic stimulation, has identified eleven inhibitory cells, some of which also function as ascending sensory interneurons. These results indicate that lateral interactions within networks of mechanosensory interneurons form an integral part of the information processing mechanisms.