Cephalopods have arguably the largest and most complex nervous systems amongst the invertebrates; but despite the squid giant axon being one of the best studied nerve cells in neuroscience, and the availability of superb information on the morphology of some cephalopod brains, there is surprisingly little known about the operation of the neural networks that underlie the sophisticated range of behaviour these animals display. This review focuses on a few of the best studied neural networks: the giant fiber system, the chromatophore system, the statocyst system, the visual system and the learning and memory system, with a view to summarizing our current knowledge and stimulating new studies, particularly on the activities of identified central neurons, to provide a more complete understanding of networks within the cephalopod nervous system.
Copyright 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel