The sea snail's nervous system
Sea snails, like other mollusks, have a nervous system that is relatively simple, but also different in some ways from our own. The sea snail doesn't really have a brain- although they contain clusters of nerve knots, otherwise known as ganglia, which serve the same purpose that a brain would. There are numerous cell bodies throughout the body of the snail- these are called "pericarya," and they can each serve their own unique purpose. These purposes involve relaying senses from parts of the nervous system, helping the snail move (motor neurons), and processing sensory information. Some people have described the snail's nervous system as a "rope-ladder" system. This kind of system is similar to the one found in annelids (see previous articles for more). In gastropoda, the ganglia are spread out evenly throughout the snail's body, and are often found working in pairs. The most important type of ganglia is called the cerebral ganglia which is located in the head- these ganglia are the ones that process sensory information.