The Mind of 
	a Worm

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RMD RMDRMD
RMD RMDRMDRMD RMD RMD RMD RMD

Members: RMDDL, RMDDR, RMDL, RMDR, RMDVL, RMDVR.

RMD is a set of six major motoneurons, which innervate muscles in the head via NMJs in the nerve ring. The cell bodies of RMDV and RMD are situated in the lateral ganglia adjacent to the ring neuropile; those of RMDD are in the ventral ganglion (figure 16). Processes enter the nerve ring laterally in the case of RMDV (j) and RMDL/RMDR (o), and via the ventral cord in the case of RMDD (i), and run round the ring for three quadrants. The proximal regions of these processes run closely associated together and are also closely associated with, and often surround, the processes of RIA (d). The processes of this group run in the middle of the anterior regions of the neuropile of the ring. The distal regions of each of the RMD processes move towards the inside surface of the ring, where they have their NMJs. RMDD wraps round the process of CEPD in a characteristic manner (g). The main regions of synaptic input are diametrically opposite the regions of NMJs (the NMJs present on the left-hand side of RMDL are atypical and have not been seen on the other reconstructed series). The NMJs of RMDD/RMDV are usually in a complex that consists of NMJs from RMD, IL1 and URA and dendrites from RMD and RIP (a, b). Sometimes the complex is seen without the RIP and URA processes (c). RMDL/RMDR behave somewhat differently and could, possibly, be considered as a separate class. Most of the NMJs of RMDL/RMDR are part of a complex, present on each of the four muscle arm spurs (figure 14), in which an RMDL/RMDR dendrite is sandwiched between an RMDL/RMDR NMJ and an RIM NMJ (k). There are also a few RMDL/RMDR NMJs laterally that are not part of any complex (I). The processes of RMDL/RMDR flatten out and form caps over the anterior surfaces of the NMJ regions of RIM, which are situated directly anterior to the muscle arm spurs (m, RIM-*b, RIM-*c). The main synaptic outputs of RMDL/RMDR are onto contralateral RMDL/RMDRs (as corecipients at NMJs) and RIA (n); the main synaptic inputs are: RIA (*e), RIM (m), RMG (*a), ILl, ADE (*c), RMF (*e), contralateral RMDL/RMDRs, RIS (*d), RMH (*a) and OLL (d). There are also gap junctions to RMDD/RMDV, but not to each other. The only synaptic output of RMDD/RMDV, apart from NMJs, is to contralateral RMDD/RMDVs at the NMJ complexes; the main synaptic inputs are from RIA (*f), URY (f), contralateral RMDD/RMDVs (a, b), IL1 (a, b), OLL (*d), CEP (*h), RIV (*d) and OLQ (*b). There are gap junctions to SAA, RMDD/RMDV, SMD, RMDL/RMDR, AVE and OLQ. OLQ has an interesting complementary synaptic relation to RMDD/RMDV; OLQD synapses onto RMDD and has gap junctions to RMDV, whereas OLQV synapses onto RMDV and has gap junctions with RMDD. Occasionally the processes of RMDD/RMDV appear to penetrate the basal lamina separating nervous tissue from muscle arms, and have gap junctions directly onto muscle arms (h). Magnifications: (a, h, l) x 25500, (b, c, e-g, k, m, n) x 12750, (d) x 17000.


Web adaptation, Thomas Boulin, for Wormatlas, 2001, 2002. Updated by Laura A. Herndon, 2014.

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