cAMP induces long-term morphological changes in sensory neurons of Aplysia.

Long-term sensitization of defensive reflexes in the marine mollusc Aplysia has been correlated with biophysical changes in the somata of sensory neurons that mediate the reflexes and with morphological changes in their axonal processes. The biophysical changes can also be mimicked by intracellular injection of cAMP. In this report we demonstrate that cAMP induces long-term structural changes in pleural sensory neurons, providing a mechanism for this form of memory storage.