title: Differential ability of two adult molluscan neurons to regenerate electrical synapses.
abstract: The ability of two electrical synapses (neuron L4-R4 and neuron L19-R19) to regenerate in the adult Helisoma nervous system was examined. The L4-R4 electrical connection exhibited rapid restoration to 50% of normal strength, whereas L19-R19 reconnection was weak or absent. This disparity is attributable to the inability of neuron 19 to sprout effectively across a crush site in the buccal commissure, although peripheral sprouting was pronounced. The factors which underlie the inability of neuron 19 (but not neuron 4) to sprout into a central environment are unknown, but dictate differential synapse restoration in this adult nervous system.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology; D008974:Mollusca / Q000502:physiology*; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D009409:Nerve Crush; D009416:Nerve Regeneration; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000294:innervation; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors