[3H]-2-deoxyglucose autoradiography in a molluscan nervous system.

We have used [3H]2-deoxyglucose autoradiography to correlate the labeling of individual neurons with electrical activity within the central nervous system of a terrestrial mollusc, Limax maximus. In an electrically quiescent control preparation where a single neuron is impaled with a glass microelectrode but not stimulated, several somata are uniformly labeled at 3-5 times background. In preparations where a single cell is impaled and stimulated, one or more somata are heavily labeled with [3H]2-deoxyglucose at 10-50 times tissue background. This technique may be useful for surveying metabolically active neurons during spontaneous and driven electrical activity.