For synapses, it's depression not death.
Long-term depression (LTD) of synaptic strength is an activity-dependent process in neurons that may be important for learning and memory. Li et al. (2010) now reveal a new apoptosis-independent role for mitochondrial-activated caspases in LTD suggesting that neurons have co-opted the canonical cell death pathway to perform a specialized function at synapses.
Department of Neurobiology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Helen S
HS
Bateup
Bernardo L
BL
Sabatini