Ionizing radiation-induced alterations in the electrophysiological properties of Aplysia sensory neurons

It is clear that ionizing radiation can alter neuronal function. Recently i t has been suggested that radiation can directly influence neurons and/or t he neuronal microenvironment. We have developed a simple in vitro model sys tem utilizing the marine mollusc Aplysia californica to test this hypothesi s. We show that ionizing radiation at doses of 5, 10 or 15 Gy produces comp lex effects on the electrophysiological properties of a population of Aplys ia nociceptive sensory neurons at 24 and 48 h post irradiation. These resul ts add support to the notion that ionizing radiation can directly influence neurons and/or the neuronal microenvironment. Furthermore, they demonstrat e that Aplysia may be used as a useful model system to study radiation-indu ced neuronal plasticity. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.