Pulmonate gastropods provide unique opportunities to examine physiological and biochemical adaptation strategies when cellular metabolic activity is reduced. In this study, cytochemical changes in metacerebral neurons of the cerebral ganglia were investigated in the garden snail Cornu aspersum during the hibernation phase. The immunocytochemical expression of three cytoskeletal markers: microtubule-associate protein 2-like (MAP-2-li), phosphorylated form of tau-like (P-Tau-li) and heavy subunit of neurofilaments-like (NF-H-li), and of two calcium-binding proteins: calmodulin-like (CaM-li) and parvalbumin-like (PV-li) was compared in active and hibernated snails. The immunopositivity for all the markers increased during hibernation versus activity in metacerebral neurons, with the notable exception of PV-li, which remained highly expressed during the whole annual cycle. Strongly positive aggregates of MAP-2-li and P-Tau-li were detected in the somata of hibernated snail neurons. P-Tau-li aggregates co-localized with CaM-li-labelled masses during hibernation. In addition, increased labelling of NF-H-li epitopes was associated with enhancement of CaM immunopositivity. These changes may reflect neural plasticity mechanisms mainly mediated by microtubule-associated proteins and CaM. Moreover, neuroprotective strategies may allow neurons to endure the prolonged hypometabolic conditions, taking into account that many of the functions controlled by the metacerebrum, such as feeding and movement, are suspended during hibernation. In this context, the molluscan ganglia model offers an easy opportunity to understand the molecular mechanisms behind these life cycle changes in cell physiology and to investigate possible cytological similarities among distantly related animals that adapt to the same environmental challenges through hibernation.

当细胞代谢活动降低时，有肺腹足动物为检查生理和生化适应策略提供了独特的机会。在这项研究中，研究了花园蜗牛Cornu aspersum在冬眠阶段大脑神经节元脑神经元的细胞化学变化。三种细胞骨架标记物的免疫细胞化学表达：微管相关蛋白 2 样 (MAP-2-li)、tau 样磷酸化形式 (P-Tau-li) 和神经丝样重亚基 (NF-H-li) ，以及两种钙结合蛋白：钙调蛋白样 (CaM-li) 和小白蛋白样 (PV-li) 在活动和冬眠蜗牛中的比较。与元脑神经元的活性相比，冬眠期间所有标记物的免疫阳性率均有所增加，但 PV-li 除外，其在整个年度周期中仍保持高表达。在冬眠蜗牛神经元的体细胞中检测到 MAP-2-li 和 P-Tau-li 的强阳性聚集体。冬眠期间 P-Tau-li 聚集体与 CaM-li 标记的团块共定位。此外，NF-H-li表位标记的增加与CaM免疫阳性的增强相关。这些变化可能反映了主要由微管相关蛋白和 CaM 介导的神经可塑性机制。此外，考虑到由大脑控制的许多功能（例如进食和运动）在冬眠期间会暂停，神经保护策略可能允许神经元忍受长时间的代谢低下状况。在这种情况下，软体动物神经节模型提供了一个简单的机会来了解细胞生理学中这些生命周期变化背后的分子机制，并研究通过冬眠适应相同环境挑战的远缘动物之间可能存在的细胞学相似性。