The blackworm, Lumbriculus variegatus, has a segmented dorsal blood vessel that acts as a peristaltic pump to move blood through its closed circulatory system. Here, we conducted a kinematic study using videography and computational modeling as a first step toward understanding the control of DBV pulsation. A simple feed-forward system of distributed, coupled neuronal oscillators is a sufficient model was a sufficient model to explain the control of pulsation in the blackworm.
Model Type: Neuromuscular Junction
Model Concept(s): Invertebrate
Simulation Environment: Python
References:
Halfmann K, Crisp KM. (2011). A Kinematic Study of Pulsation in the Dorsal Blood Vessel of the blackworm, Lumbriculus variegatus IMPULSE-An Undergraduate Journal for Neuroscience.