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Structural dynamics of dendritic spines in memory and cognition
March 2010
March 2010
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Abstract
Recent studies show that dendritic spines are dynamic structures. Their rapid creation,
destruction and shape-changing are essential for short- and long-term plasticity at
excitatory synapses on pyramidal neurons in the cerebral cortex. The onset of long-term
potentiation, spine-volume growth and an increase in receptor trafficking are coincident,
enabling a 'functional readout' of spine structure that links the age, size, strength
and lifetime of a synapse. Spine dynamics are also implicated in long-term memory
and cognition: intrinsic fluctuations in volume can explain synapse maintenance over
long periods, and rapid, activity-triggered plasticity can relate directly to cognitive
processes. Thus, spine dynamics are cellular phenomena with important implications
for cognition and memory. Furthermore, impaired spine dynamics can cause psychiatric
and neurodevelopmental disorders.
Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.