The nervous system of Tricladida. II. Neuroanatomy of Dugesia tigrina (Paludicola, Dugesiidae): an immunocytochemical study

Abstract

The nervous system (NS) of Dugesia tigrina has been studied by immunocytochemical double-staining, using the authentic flatworm neuropeptide, neuropeptide F (NPF), and serotonin (5-HT) on cryosections. This technique provides a precise morphological (descriptive) account of the NS. The results show that the central nervous system is shaped like a horseshoe. The brain is composed of two lateral lobes connected by three commissures, one antero-dorsal in front of the cerebral eyes and two, more ventral, behind the eyes. The pair of main nerve cords extend from the lateral lobes of the brain to the tail end of the worm. Cross sections reveal a very close contact between lateral branches from the main cords and the submuscular plexus. Thin cord-like lateral nerves are formed by longitudinal plexal fibres. No dorsal cords were observed. The patterns of immunoreactivity to NPF and 5-HT differ from each other in several respects. In the walls of gut diverticula only NPF immunoreactive (IR) cells and fibres were observed. Only NPF-immunoreactive cells occur in the parenchyma along dorso-ventral nerve fibres connecting the dorsal and ventral parts of the submuscular plexus. The number of 5-HT-immunoreactive cells associated with the main nerve cords (MCs) is greater than that of the NPF-immunoreactive cells, and the spongy structure of the MCs is more apparent following immunostaining for 5-HT. Thin 5-HT-immunoreactive fibres were observed in the subepithelial plexus, penetrating the basal lamina and innervating a rhabdite-free ventro-lateral sensory area along the body periphery. The correspondence between MCs in the lower flatworms (Catenulida and Macrostomida) and the Seriata (Tricladida and Proseriata) confirms the status of the MCs in flatworms as the most important and stable neuronal characteristic, and constitutes support for the hypothesized common origin of the MCs in flatworms.