The action of the eyecup muscles of the crab, Carcinus, during optokinetic movements

Abstract

Summary 1. The actions of the nine eyecup muscles of the crab during horizontal optokinetic movements are described.

2. Each muscle includes a wide spectrum of fibre types, ranging from phasic, with sarcomere lengths of 3-4 µm., through intermediate, to tonic fibres with sarcomeres of 10-12 µm. Each muscle receives at least one slow and one fast motoneuron, but no inhibitory supply. The slow axons predominantly innervate the tonic muscle fibres while the fast axons innervate the phasic ones.

3. Slow movement and the position of the eyecup in space are controlled by the frequency of slow motoneuron discharges. All muscles collaborate at every position. The phasic system is recruited during rapid eyecup movements of large amplitude.

4. In optokinetic nystagmus the exact form of the impulse sequences are described for each muscle. They are the consequence of a visually driven central programme which takes no account of the movement which it generates. Movements in opposite directions involve different central programmes; the one is not merely the reverse of the other. There is no effective proprioceptive feedback from the eyecup joint or from muscle tension receptors.