Auditory neurons expand their terminal arbors throughout life and orient toward the site of postembryonic hair cell production in the macula neglecta in elasmobranchs.

Abstract

The population of sensory hair cells in the macula neglecta auditory epithelium in skates increases from 500 to more than 3,000 postembryonically, but during the same time period the number of neurons innervating the epithelium changes by a much smaller amount, if at all. Morphometric analyses of the peripheral terminal arbors of these neurons demonstrate that the arbors expand in area through intussusceptive growth, so that each neuron contacts more hair cells as the epithelium grows by appositional addition of new hair cells at its outer edge. The synaptic contacts that these neurons make with hair cells may not be permanent. Many of the neurons that innervate the growing macula appear to shift their terminal arbors, breaking synaptic contacts with older hair cells in the center of the sensory epithelium as they branch to form new contacts with younger hair cells that are located in the periphery of the epithelium. Over 80% of the terminal branches of these auditory neurons are directed toward the outer edge of the macula, the site where new hair cells are produced. This suggests that the growth cones of these continually growing neurons are guided to newly produced hair cells by an active attraction mechanism.