lateral ventricular nerve (sensu Cancer borealis)

The lateral ventricular nerve (LVN) in Cancer borealis is a branch of the dorsal ventricular nerve that projects to one side of the stomach. There are right and left lateral ventricular nerves, each carrying motor axons from the stomatogastric ganglion to the muscles on their respective sides of the gastric mill and pyloric stomach.

In Cancer borealis, the lateral ventricular nerves are located running bilaterally from the dorsal ventricular nerve bifurcation point toward their respective sides of the foregut. The motor axons from the stomatogastric ganglion travel through the dorsal ventricular nerve and then branch into the right and left lateral ventricular nerves.

The lateral ventricular nerves are involved in distributing motor commands from the stomatogastric ganglion to the stomach muscles on each side of the crustacean foregut. They carry the axons of motor neurons involved in driving the gastric mill and pyloric rhythms, enabling coordinated bilateral movements of stomach muscles.

Experimental transection of the lateral ventricular nerve or the dorsal ventricular nerve would be associated with denervation of stomach muscles on the affected side. Pharmacological or thermal manipulations of the stomatogastric circuit are associated with altered motor output in the lateral ventricular nerves, and these nerves are commonly used as recording sites for circuit activity.

The lateral ventricular nerves are examined using extracellular suction electrode recordings in dissected stomatogastric nervous system preparations of Cancer borealis. Recording from these nerves reveals the motor activity patterns of neurons supplying the corresponding side of the stomach. Dye fills and immunohistochemistry are used for anatomical characterization.