Brain and nervous system | Physiology of the Mauthner Cell: Discovery and Properties

The Mauthner cells are two colossal reticulospinal neurons that, based on their sensory inputs and motor output connections, mediate tail-flip escape responses. Singular cellular and synaptic properties endow the Mauthner cell system with speed and functional flexibility. Because of their experimental accessibility, the Mauthner cells have provided important insights into basic mechanisms of cellular excitability and synaptic transmission, including mechanisms of synaptic inhibition, transmitter release, and the effect of electrical fields and plasticity of gap junction-mediated electrical synapses. The rich physiological properties of the Mauthner cells will continue to provide a unique window for discovery of basic mechanisms of brain function.