Bailey C H, Chen M
Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1988 Apr;85(7):2373-7. doi: 10.1073/pnas.85.7.2373.
The morphological consequences of long-term habituation and sensitization of the gill withdrawal reflex in Aplysia california were explored by examining the total number of presynaptic varicosities of single identified sensory neurons (a critical site of plasticity for the biochemical and biophysical changes that underlie both types of learning) in control and behaviorally trained animals. Sensory neurons from habituated animals had 35% fewer synaptic varicosities than did sensory neurons from control animals. In contrast, sensory neurons from sensitized animals had twice as many varicosities per sensory neuron compared to controls, as well as enlarged neuropil arbors. These changes suggest that modulation of synapse number may play a role in the maintenance of long-term memory.
通过检查对照动物和经过行为训练的动物中单个已鉴定感觉神经元的突触前膨体总数（这是两种学习类型所依赖的生化和生物物理变化的关键可塑性位点），研究了加州海兔鳃收缩反射长期习惯化和敏感化的形态学后果。习惯化动物的感觉神经元的突触膨体比对照动物的感觉神经元少35%。相比之下，敏感化动物的感觉神经元每个感觉神经元的膨体数量是对照动物的两倍，并且神经纤维网树突也增大。这些变化表明突触数量的调节可能在长期记忆的维持中起作用。
