title: Development and regulation of dendritic spine synapses.
abstract: Dendritic spines are small protrusions from neuronal dendrites that form the postsynaptic component of most excitatory synapses in the brain. They play critical roles in synaptic transmission and plasticity. Recent advances in imaging and molecular technologies reveal that spines are complex, dynamic structures that contain a dense array of cytoskeletal, transmembrane, and scaffolding molecules. Several neurological and psychiatric disorders exhibit dendritic spine abnormalities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Institute for Childhood and Neglected Diseases, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Calabrese
authors.forename: Margaret S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Shelley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Halpain
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003712:Dendrites / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D049229:Dendritic Spines / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009435:Synaptic Transmission; D020741:rho GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D020741:rho GTP-Binding Proteins