Abstract Bobkova, M.V., Tartakovskaya, O.S., Borissenko, S.L., Zhukov, V.V. & Meyer-Rochow, V.B. 2004. Restoration of morphological and functional integrity in the regenerating eye of the giant African land snail Achatina fulica . -Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 85 : 1-14To determine whether vision returns to its original state following eye removal in Achatina fulica , light and electron microscope examinations, electrophysiological recordings and behavioural tests were carried out on the regenerating snails. Reparative morphogenesis can result in the restoration of the peripheral sense organ even in the absence of complete regrowth of the tentacle, but it can also lead to the formation of aberrant regenerates. We found that anatomically and ultrastructurally the eyes of the 'most normal' regenerates were basically the same as the original eyes. Under normal conditions each eye is composed of a principal and an accessory eye, both sharing a common cornea. The only difference between regenerated and native eyes is the smaller size of the former, as a result of a reduced number of retinal cells. Electroretinographic responses revealed that the molecular mechanism of phototransduction is restored, in principle, but that flicker fusion frequency in the regenerated eye is significantly lower than in the normal eye. The directional movement to a visual stimulus (a black stripe of 45 ° width) had not completely recovered even 6 months after amputation. This suggests that the central projections of the optic nerve had not become fully re-established at the time of testing.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.