Dynamic analysis of cockroach giant interneuron activity evoked by forced displacement of cercal thread-hair sensilla.

This investigation involved extracellular recordings of cockroach abdominal giant interneuron (GI) action potentials evoked by cercal "threadlike" hair sensilla (THS) stimulation with a galvanometric device, by controlled displacements of about seven THS. Small and large GIs, distinguished by their amplitudes, were studied simultaneously. Only the small GIs were spontaneously active. Responses to sine, pulse, and ramp stimulation of sensilla produced phasic responses in both GI types. Some GIs were directionally sensitive and had shorter response latencies in the direction of best sensitivity while others were omnidirectional. Contralateral stimulation decreased responses to homolateral stimuli. In experiments using paired pulses (less than 50-ms intervals) there is a period of hyperexcitability, in large GIs, in which the response to the second stimulus is greater. Repeated stimulation caused an exponential decline in the response which was steeper in GIs at higher stimulating frequencies and had a faster time course in large GIs. Because of this last property GIs function as low-pass filters limiting the flow of information, with large GIs having a lower frequency "cutoff" than smaller GIs.