title: Neurotrophin regulation of cortical dendritic growth requires activity.
abstract: Neurotrophins have been proposed to mediate several forms of activity-dependent competition in the central nervous system. A key element of such hypotheses is that neurotrophins act preferentially on active neurons; however, little direct evidence supports this postulate. We therefore examined, in ferret cortical brain slices, the interactions between activity and neurotrophins in regulating dendritic growth of layer 4 pyramidal neurons. Inhibition of spontaneous electrical activity, synaptic transmission, or L-type calcium channels each prevented the otherwise dramatic increase in dendritic arborizations elicited by brain-derived neurotrophic factor. In developing cortex, this requirement for conjoint neurotrophin signaling and activity provides a mechanism for selectively enhancing the growth and connectivity of active neurons.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA.
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: McAllister
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Katz
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Lo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000502:physiology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development*; D003712:Dendrites / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D005289:Ferrets; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor