Function of an eyestalk ganglion, the Medulla terminalis , in olfactory integration in the lobster, Panulirus argus

Abstract

Ipsilateral antennular dysfunction resulting from total unilateral eyestalk ablation in spiny lobsters does not occur when visual input is restricted by an opaque cap over one eyestalk, or when optic ganglia alone (eg. lamina ganglionaris, medulla externa, medulla interna ) are removed. Antennular dysfunction appears only when connections between the most proximal of the four eyestalk ganglia, the medulla terminalis , and the remainder of the cerebral ganglia (brain) are interrupted. We conclude that neural processing of olfactory input from the antennule involves structures in the medulla terminalis .