Sluggish Movements

With its large neurons and relatively simple circuits, the sea slug Aplysia californica (pictured) is a valuable model system in neurobiology, famous for Nobel prize-winning work on learning and memory. Most recently, researchers used Aplysia neurons to investigate how cells control the movement of mitochondria. These vital organelles, producing energy in the form of ATP, are transported within cells to areas where this energy is most needed. When two neurons form a connection, or synapse, mitochondria fuel the signal transmission between them. Scientists found that, in Aplysia, synapse formation boosts mitochondrial movement, and triggers changes in the activity of around 4000 genes, causing a long-term shift in the pre-synaptic neuron’s makeup. These new insights could help find ways to address problems with mitochondrial transport, thought to be involved in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

Written by Emmanuelle Briolat

Emmanuelle Briolat

Writer

A researcher specialising in visual signals in Lepidoptera, camouflage and the effects of light pollution, Emmanuelle’s writing covers a range of topics, from biomedical research to children’s books about moth defences.

Website

• Image by Chad King, U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
• Research from the Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute-Florida, Jupiter, FL, USA
• Image in the public domain, Wikimedia Commons
• Research published in Cell Reports, January 2019