Final answer:
With collateral sprouting, axons of the healthy neurons grow new branches to form new neural connections, essential in the repair of neuronal damage. Option a is correct..
Step-by-step explanation:
With collateral sprouting, axons of the healthy neurons grow new branches. This process allows neurons to form new connections, which is integral especially when repairing damage such as from an injury. The axon is a critical component of a neuron that extends from the neuron body and is responsible for transmitting nerve impulses away from the cell body and towards other cells, including other neurons, muscles, or glands. Axonal endings, or terminals, are the sites where neurotransmitters are released to communicate with other neurons at the synapse. Therefore, during collateral sprouting, it is the axons that grow new branches to compensate for lost or damaged neural pathways.
Dendrites of the healthy neurons grow new branches with collateral sprouting. Dendrites are the thin extensions that branch off the cell body of a neuron. They receive signals from other neurons at synapses, which are complex membrane junctions. The signals are then transmitted through the dendrites and into the neuron.