Studies on Aplysia neurons suggest treatments for chronic human disorders

Abstract

For decades, the marine snail Aplysia has proven to be a powerful system for analyzing basic neurobiological mechanisms, particularly cellular and molecular mechanisms of neural plasticity. Three new findings on Aplysia may be relevant for the understanding and treatment of chronic human disorders. This research on this simple molluscan nervous system may lead to new therapeutic approaches for spinal cord injury, Fragile X syndrome, and genetic learning deficits more generally.