Flying locusts perform a characteristic gliding dive in response to predator-sized stimuli looming from one side. These visual looming stimuli trigger trains of spikes in the descending contralateral movement detector (DCMD) neuron that increase in frequency as the stimulus gets nearer. Here we provide evidence that high-frequency (>150Hz) DCMD spikes are involved in triggering the glide: the D...

Locusts possess an identified neuron, the descending contralateral movement detector (DCMD), conveying visual information about impending collision from the brain to thoracic motor centers. We built a telemetry system to simultaneously record, in freely behaving animals, the activity of the DCMD and of motoneurons involved in jump execution. Cocontraction of antagonistic leg muscles, a required...

Flying locusts perform a characteristic gliding dive in response to predator-sized stimuli looming from one side. These visual looming stimuli trigger trains of spikes in the descending contralateral movement detector (DCMD) neuron that increase in frequency as the stimulus gets nearer. Here we provide evidence that high-frequency (>150 Hz) DCMD spikes are involved in triggering the glide: the ...

The LGMD is the major source of visual input from the compound eye to the ipsilateral DCMD. Inactivating the LGMD or hyperpolarizing it, so it no longer spikes, abolishes the response of the DCMD to the visual stimulus. Synaptic transmission between the LGMD and DCMD neurones is chemical. A spike in the LGMD terminals induces a postsynaptic potential in the DCMD dendrites, with a transmission d...

Motion dazzle describes high-contrast patterns (e.g. zigzags on snakes and dazzle paint on World War I ships) that do not conceal an object, but inhibit an observer's perception of its motion. However, there is limited evidence for this phenomenon. Locusts have a pair of descending contralateral movement detector (DCMD) neurons which respond to predator-like looming objects and trigger escape r...

Several studies have shown that there can be considerable variability in the morphology of identified neurones. In a recent investigation (Pearson & Goodman, 1979) a great degree of variability was observed in the axon branching patterns of the descending contralateral movement detector (DCMD) interneurones of locusts. Corresponding to the variation in the structure of DCMD was a large variatio...

AIMS To evaluate the expression of common biological markers and the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in mammary high grade ductal carcinomas with myoepithelial differentiation (DCMDs). MATERIALS/METHODS Thirty DCMDs were clinicopathologically and immunohistochemically analysed and compared with 36 control cases of high grade conventional invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). RESULTS EGFR...

Stimulus complexity affects the response of looming sensitive neurons in a variety of animal taxa. The Lobula Giant Movement Detector/Descending Contralateral Movement Detector (LGMD/DCMD) pathway is well-characterized in the locust visual system. It responds to simple objects approaching on a direct collision course (i.e., looming) as well as complex motion defined by changes in stimulus veloc...

Direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) can desalinate saline waters using low-grade heat and is thus economically attractive when low-temperature thermal energy is readily available. Coupling DCMD with a heat exchanger (HX) can significantly enhance the energy efficiency of the process by recovering the latent heat accumulated in the permeate (distillate) stream. This study evaluates the m...

An increasing number of studies show how stimulus complexity affects the responses of looming-sensitive neurons across multiple animal taxa. Locusts contain a well-described, descending motion-sensitive pathway that is preferentially looming sensitive. However, the lobula giant movement detector/descending contralateral movement detector (LGMD/DCMD) pathway responds to more than simple objects ...