title: Stretch-grown axons retain the ability to transmit active electrical signals.
abstract: Little is known about extensive nervous system growth after axons reach their targets. Indeed, postnatal animals continue to grow, suggesting that axons are stretched to accommodate the expanding body. We have previously shown that axons can sustain stretch-growth rates reaching 1 cm/day; however, it remained unknown whether the ability to transmit active signals was maintained. Here, stretch-growth did not alter sodium channel activation, inactivation, and recovery or potassium channel activation. In addition, neurons generated normal action potentials that propagated across stretch-grown axons. Surprisingly, Na and K channel density increased due to stretch-growth, which may represent a natural response to preserve the fidelity of neuronal signaling.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Bryan J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Pfister
authors.forename: David P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Bonislawski
authors.forename: Douglas H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Akiva S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials; D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D015222:Sodium Channels / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D015221:Potassium Channels; D015222:Sodium Channels