RECORDING FROM CUTICULAR MECHANORECEPTORS DURING MECHANICAL STIMULATION

It is technically demanding to make intracellular measurements of mech anoreception in intact arthropod cuticular receptors. Here we introduc e a method for recording mechanically induced electrical events in a c lass of spider mechanoreceptors using single electrode voltage- or cur rent-clamp. A concave piece of cuticle containing a mechanosensitive l yriform slit organ was dissected free and fixed with wax onto a specia lly designed holder. This holder-cuticle complex, filled with spider s aline, allowed displacement of the slit membrane from below while simu ltaneously recording intracellularly from neurons of the organ through a thin saline film. Extracellular ion concentrations could be changed and ion channel blockers could be applied to the bath. The method pro mises to allow the investigation of the ion channels responsible for m echanically transduced receptor signals and spike encoding.