This classic paper outlines a detailed anatomical and electrophysiological study of the neurons involved in driving the digestive behavior in the spiny lobster. Since 1974 the paper has been cited 154 times, with an average of 6.7 citations per year. The citation rate of the paper has remained high throughout its citation history; however, it is evident from a linear regression analysis that the citation rate is in regular decline. By in large, the paper has been cited most frequently by other colleagues who work in aspects of crustacean stomatogastric biology, and many familiar names appeared in the citation history. Some papers focused on the electrophysiology of the ganglion, and later there developed another literature on the neuromodulation properties. Both of the fields rely heavily on work done by these two authors. There was some evidence of cross-field interest in this particular paper. Two authors, Thompson and Buch, independently cited this paper as a reference for their work on biosensors and chemoreceptors. The first citations appear to be in reference to lobster olfaction, but later use of the citation seems to be applied in a more general way to neuronal biosensors. Clearly this work has had a great impact on the field of crustacean neurobiology evidenced by its impressive citation record, continuing through the 1990s.
