Ca2+ and synaptic plasticity.
The induction and maintenance of synaptic plasticity is well established to be a Ca2+-dependent process. The use of fluorescent imaging to monitor changes [Ca2+]i in neurones has revealed a diverse array of signaling patterns across the different compartments of the cell. The Ca2+ signals within these compartments are generated by voltage or ligand-gated Ca2+ influx, and release from intracellular stores. The changes in [Ca2+]i are directly linked to the activity of the neurone, thus a neurone's input and output is translated into a dynamic Ca2+ code. Despite considerable progress in measuring this code much still remains to be determined in order to understand how the code is interpreted by the Ca2+ sensors that underlie the induction of compartment-specific plastic changes.
Cavazzini
Michele
M
Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3QT, UK.
Bliss
Tim
T
Emptage
Nigel
N
D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology*; D020013:Calcium Signaling / Q000502:physiology; D049229:Dendritic Spines / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation / Q000502:physiology; D036881:Long-Term Synaptic Depression; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology*
D002118:Calcium