Abstract
WHEN a glass electrode filled with KCl is placed on the eye of a housefly bursts of nervous activity occurring even in darkness may be observed using an oscilloscope. We present evidence that the diel changes in burst frequency represent a true circadian rhythm. The source of these signals obtained from the housefly eye is as yet unknown. Dethier1 reported two types of electrical activity as recorded externally from the insect eye, the electroretinogram (ERG) and spontaneous nerve firing. The latter activity was related to light intensity and movement in the visual field.
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References
Dethier, V. G., The Physiology of Insect Senses (Methuen, London, 1963).
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SHIPP, E., GUNNING, R. Endogenous rhythm of nerve activity in the housefly eye. Nature 258, 520–521 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1038/258520a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/258520a0
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