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Cell Biology JoVE (Open Access) Citable · DOI

Measures of Heart and Ventilatory Rates in Freely Moving Crayfish

DOI: 10.3791/1594-v
What you'll learn
  • ✓ Implant electrodes in crayfish for non-invasive cardiac and ventilatory monitoring
  • ✓ Record electrocardiograms (ECGs) and electroscaphognathitegrams (ESGs) from freely moving invertebrates
  • ✓ Measure autonomic physiological responses in crayfish under experimental conditions
  • ✓ Interpret cardio-vascular and ventilatory coordination as biological stress indices
Protocol

Invertebrates show an autonomic sympathetic-like response similar to that described for vertebrates. The coordination of the cardio-vascular and ventilatory systems allows for measurement of a biological index in which to assess an organism internal state.

Difficulty
advanced
Total time
~1.5–2 hours per crayfish (electrode preparation, implantation, and stabilization)
Model organism
Crayfish (Crustacea, decapod)

Steps

1
Prepare recording electrodes from wire

Cut and prepare fine recording wires for electrode placement. Strip insulation and verify electrode quality before implantation.

▶ 00:50
2
Implant electrodes into crayfish body

Surgically insert prepared electrodes into the crayfish at designated anatomical sites for cardiac and ventilatory signal detection.

▶ 02:26
3
Record ECGs and ESGs from crayfish

Acquire electrocardiogram and electroscaphognathite gram signals from the freely moving crayfish using properly positioned electrodes.

▶ 04:47
4
Analyze representative physiological recordings

Review and interpret representative ECG and ESG data to assess heart rate, ventilatory rate, and autonomic responses.

▶ 05:45
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