Octopamine alters rhythmic activity in the isolated cardiac ganglion of the crab, Portunus sanguinolentus.

When applied to the isolated cardiac ganglion of Portunus, octopamine decreases the ganglionic burst frequency and increases the burst duration in a dose-dependent manner over the concentration range 10(-8) M to 10(-6) M. These effects are accompanied by a hyperpolarization (maximum 5 mV) of the cardiac ganglion motor neurones and a decrease in the magnitude of the interburst pacemaker potential in these neurones. The evidence that octopamine plays a cardiomodulatory role in vivo is discussed.