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Updated: Jun 30, 2026

Utilizing Combined Methodologies to Define the Role of Plasma Membrane Delivery During Axon Branching and Neuronal Morphogenesis
Published on: March 16, 2016
The question of the fusion of neuron processes
O S Sotnikov1, G I Rybakova, I A Solov'eva
1Functional Morphology and Neuron Physiology Laboratory, I. P. Pavlov Institute of Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia. sotnikov@kolt.infran.ru
Abstract:
The authors, whilst accepting the neuron theory, present data indicating the possibility that neuronal syncytia exist when myelin-coated ring-like structures form in the dendritic field, in nerve arcades close to neuron bodies, and on formation of thick, straight anastomoses between neuron bodies. Studies using computerized time-lapse videomicroscopy in cultures of isolated neurons demonstrated the mechanism by which these structures form. This report provides the first evidence of the time parameters of the fusion of the processes of a single live neuron; the fusion of fragments of an isolated glial-free fiber was demonstrated.
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