title: Molecular regulation of dendritic spine shape and function.
abstract: Dendritic spines are discrete membrane protrusions from dendritic shafts where the large majority of excitatory synapses are located. Their highly heterogeneous morphology is thought to be the morphological basis for synaptic plasticity. Electron microscopy and time-lapse imaging studies have suggested that the shape and number of spines can change after long-term potentiation (LTP), although there is no evidence that morphological changes are necessary for LTP induction and maintenance. An increasing number of proteins have been found to be morphogens for dendritic spines and provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms regulating spine formation and morphology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, CNR Institute of Neuroscience, Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Milan, Via Vanvitelli 32, I-20129 Milan, Italy. c.sala@csfic.mi.cnr.it
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sala
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002451:Cell Compartmentation / Q000502:physiology; D048429:Cell Size / Q000502:physiology; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003712:Dendrites / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D013570:Synaptic Membranes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology*