title: Contractile activity of living isolated neurons and its inhibition by cytochalasin B.
abstract: Contractile activity of damaged neuronal axons of Lymnaea stagnalis and Planorbis corneus vulgaris mollusks and the possibility of inhibiting their retraction by cytochalasin B were studied. In experimental series I (control), the neuronal axons contracted in Ringer's fluid in 90% cases. In series II and III (cytochalasin B in concentrations of 0.02 and 0.2 mM), the percentage of non-contracting neurons was 50 and 70%, respectively. Presumably, the fiber retraction mechanism was involved in the formation of diastasis after nerve cutting and damage to conduction tracts. The nerve diastasis formed at the expense of not only elastic characteristics of the nerve sheath and glia, but also due to nerve fiber retraction. Experiments with cytochalasin B demonstrated that F-actin filaments were involved in the retraction of myelin-free nerve fibers.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Functional Morphology and Physiology of the Neuron, I. P. Pavlov Institute of Physiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia. ossotnikov@mail.ru.
authors.forename: N U
authors.initials: NU
authors.lastname: Vasyagina
authors.forename: O S
authors.initials: OS
authors.lastname: Sotnikov
authors.forename: T N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Kokurina
authors.forename: T V
authors.initials: TV
authors.lastname: Krasnova
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003571:Cytochalasin B / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005724:Ganglia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D008195:Lymnaea / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D003571:Cytochalasin B