No abstract

Please cite this article as: Yang,, M., Carbó Tano,, M., Freudenthal,, R., Hermitte,, G., Characterization of the cardiac ganglion in the crab Neohelice granulata and immunohistochemical evidence of GABAlike extrinsic regulation, Arthropod Structure and Development (2012), doi: 10.1016/j.asd.2012 This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. ABSTRACTThe aim of the present work is to provide an anatomical description of the cardiac system in the crab Neohelice granulata and evidence of the presence of GABA by means of immunohistochemistry. The ganglionic trunk was found lying on the inner surface of the heart's dorsal wall. After dissection, this structure appeared as a Y-shaped figure with its major axis perpendicular to the major axis of the heart. Inside the cardiac ganglion, we identified four large neurons of 63.7 µm ± 3.7 in maximum diameter, which were similar to the motor neurons described in other decapods. All the GABA-like immunoreactivity (GABAi) was observed as processes entering mainly the ganglionic trunk and branching in slender varicose fibers, forming a network around the large neurons suggesting that GABAi processes contact them.Our findings strengthen previous results suggesting that the GABAergic system mediates the cardioinhibitory response upon sensory stimulation.