Neuronal segmentation in cephalopod arms

Cassady S. Olson (), Natalie Grace Schulz and Clifton W. Ragsdale
Additional contact information
Cassady S. Olson: The University of Chicago
Natalie Grace Schulz: The University of Chicago
Clifton W. Ragsdale: The University of Chicago

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Prehensile arms are among the most remarkable features of the octopus, but little is known about the neural circuitry controlling arm movements. Here, we report on the cellular and molecular organization of the arm nervous system, focusing on its massive axial nerve cords (ANCs). We found that the ANC is segmented. In transverse cross sections, the ANC cell body layer wraps around the neuropil with no apparent segregation of sensory and motor neurons. In longitudinal sections, however, ANC neurons form segments, setting up a modular organization to the adjoining neuropil. ANC nerves exit in the septa between segments, and for each sucker, form a spatial topographic map (“suckerotopy”). A strong link between ANC segmentation and flexible sucker-laden arms is confirmed by comparative study of squid arms and tentacles. These ANC modules offer a template for modeling the motor control of soft tissues and provide a compelling example of nervous system segmentation in molluscs.

Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-55475-5 Abstract (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-55475-5

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-55475-5

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Communications is currently edited by Nathalie Le Bot, Enda Bergin and Fiona Gillespie

More articles in Nature Communications from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().