RPG: Modulation of Aplysia Bag Cell Sodium Current

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9508705 Fieber The experiments proposed in this study will address control of neural function in the marine snail, Aplysia. The simple nervous system of this invertebrate is a model for the study of changes in neural function that directly affect the animal's behavior. The neural control of egg laying in Aplysia is the physiological phenomenon that will be examined. The study will employ the technique of single cell voltage clamping, which flows through special channels in a group of neural cells called bag cells. Two specific goals of the study are: 1) to work out methods for studying single sodium channels to understand how they execute their role in the neural pattern that results in egg laying, and 2) to identify certain hormones that circulate in the body of the animal during egg laying that may change the way the sodium currents operate. These studies are the first step in a planned study that will explore the idea that egg laying is dependent on specific changes in these sodium currents. Such studies have broad relevance for understanding how an animal's nervous system controls physiological or behavioral responses.