MAINTENANCE OF MOTOR PATTERN PHASE RELATIONSHIPS IN THE VENTILATORY SYSTEM OF THE CRAB.

The article studies the maintenance of the functional motor pattern produced by the central pattern generator responsible for the gill ventilation rhythm in the shore crab Carcinus maenas. This motor pattern was found to maintain relatively constant phase relationships between the various motor bursts in the rhythm. The two purposes of the phase relationships in the ventilatory motor pattern are also discussed.