Editorial: Neuronal Mechanics and Transport

[...]axons have the remarkable geometrical property of having a relatively uniform diameter over distances that can be as long a meter in humans. [...]the transport of cytoskeletal elements along the axon is locally inhibited and material accumulates and allows the axon to return to its original diameter in regions that are locally thin. In turn, to test if slow stretch-induced axonal growth leads to changes in electrical activity as seen in rapid deformation, Loverde and Pfister grew rat sensory neurons in axon stretch-growth bioreactors and assessed neuronal activity using whole-cell patch clamp recording, free calcium imaging, and morphological analysis. Kerstein et al. provide an excellent overview of the mechanochemical regulation of growth cone motility that covers the generation of traction forces, the molecules important for force sensing, durotaxis, and the interaction between physical and chemical guidance cues.