[Coding the rhythm of adequate stimulation of a crayfish mechanoreceptor neurons by slow oscillations in its firing rate].

Rhythmic (with periods from 0.5 to 29 sec) adequate stimulations of a single neuron in the crayfish isolated mechanoreceptor induced periodic slow oscillations in its firing rate of which the oscillations with period by 6--10 times exceeding that of stimulation, prevailed. This period was affected by neither stimulation intensity, nor by initial spontaneous firing rate but revealed regular variations on changes of the stimulation frequency. Latencies of the induced oscillations varied from several seconds (for high frequencies) to several minutes (for low frequencies), and on repeated trains of stimuli the latencies grew shorter. After cessation of stimulation these oscillations persisted for several minutes; they could be transformed by another stimulation frequency in 1--3 min. The data suggest that the coding of stimulation rhythm in the firing rate oscillations is related to rhythms of energy metabolism in the nervous cell.