De Leo A. Enrico Sereni: research on the nervous system of cephalopods.
JOURNAL OF THE HISTORY OF THE NEUROSCIENCES 2008;
17:56-71. [PMID:
18161597 DOI:
10.1080/09647040600903187]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
This essay focuses on a paradigmatic moment in neurobiological studies of invertebrates: the research on the nervous system of cephalopods carried out by Enrico Sereni at the Naples Zoological Station between 1925 and 1931. Although he remained unknown on the historiographic scenario, probably due to his early death, he contributed to Italian science of the first half of the twentieth century. In my paper particular attention will be given to Sereni's study on the pigmentary-effector, neurohumoral, and peripheral nervous systems, since they also accounted for the historical foundation of the experimental vein that, through the years, would lead John Zachary Young, Sereni's follower, to the most well-known discovery of the giant nerve fibers.
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