ABSTRACT
Results in the development of a chemical sensor, for the neurotransmitter serotonin, which will use living neurons as the primary transducer are reported. The exposure of identified neurons from the visceral ganglia of the pond snail Limnea stagnalis to serotonin has revealed a reversible, concentration dependent increase in the rate of spontaneous action potential generation, over a concentration range of four orders of magnitude. Data are also presented which indicate that after exposure to serotonin the neuron undergoes a desensitizing process. These findings are discussed in relation to the development of a neuron based chemical sensor.
