Biology subjects

Winters-Bostwick, G. C.

Publications and source records attributed to Winters-Bostwick, G. C..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Neurochemically-evoked activity in slice preparations of the octopus arm nerve cord

Octopus arms contain circuits that support local sensorimotor integration and autonomy, responsible for fast and flexible behaviors, but their population dynamics remain unknown. The axial nerve cord (ANC) is a series of sucker-associated ganglia whose cortex layer houses multiple classes of intermingled neurons. Here we use calcium imaging in ex vivo slices from arms of Octopus bocki, to visualize how these networks respond to controlled application of neurotransmitters and neuromodulators. Glutamate and dopamine are dominant excitatory drivers that activate most neurons in the ANC cortex, with a substantial overlapping populations and smaller transmitter-specific subsets. Glutamate continues to excite additional neurons at higher concentration, whereas dopamine responses saturate. Serotonin alone evokes mixed responses but, when applied first, consistently reduces glutamate- and dopamine-driven activation, revealing a state-dependent modulatory role. GABA and octopamine yield weak heterologous effects, and high-dose acetylcholine sharply suppresses global ANC neuronal activity while inducing muscular contraction, consistent with inhibitory cholinergic receptors in arm ganglia. Across conditions, responsive neurons show no evidence of spatial structure, with no clear anatomical segregation by transmitter response profiles. These results provide the first link between neurochemical architecture and real-time firing dynamics in a semi-autonomous circuit.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2024

Three-Dimensional Molecular Atlas of Octopus Arm Neuroanatomy Highlights Spatial and Functional Complexity

Octopus arms, notable for their complex anatomy and remarkable flexibility, have sparked significant interest within the neuroscience community. However, there remains a dearth of knowledge about the molecular and functional identities of various cell types in the arms nervous system. To address this gap, we used hybridization chain reaction (HCR) to identify distinct neuronal types in the arms of the pygmy octopus, Octopus bocki, including putative dopaminergic, octopaminergic, serotonergic, GABAergic, glutamatergic, cholinergic, and peptidergic neurons. We obtained high-resolution multiplexed fluorescent images at 0.28x0.28x1.0 M voxel size from 10 arm base and arm tip cross sections (each 50 M thick) and created three-dimensional reconstructions of the axial ganglia, illustrating the spatial distribution of multiple neuronal populations. Our analysis unveiled anatomically distinct and molecularly diverse scattered neurons, while also highlighting multiple populations of dense small excitatory neurons that appear uniformly distributed throughout the cortical layer. Our data provide new insights into how different types of neurons may contribute to the ability of an octopus to interact with its environment and execute complex tasks. In addition, our findings establish a benchmark for future studies, allowing pioneering exploration of octopus arm molecular neuroanatomy, and offering exciting new avenues in invertebrate neuroscience research.

neuroscience↗