B12 MOTONEURON

B12 is a neuron located on the posterior surface of the buccal ganglia. It has a projection down the ipsilateral ventral buccal nerve where it innervates the anterior jugalis muscle in the buccal mass. B12 is an example of a behaviour specific motoneuron. During ingestion feeding cycles, B12 is active throughout the rasp and early swallow phases, whereas during egestion cycles, it is not active.

References

Crossley, M., Simon, A., Marathe, S., Rau, C., Roth, A., Marra, V., Staras, K., 2025. Functional mapping of the molluscan brain guided by synchrotron X-ray tomography. PNAS.