title: Shaping brain connections through spontaneous neural activity.
abstract: An overwhelming number of observations demonstrate that neural activity and genetic programs interact to specify the composition and organization of neural circuits during all stages of development. Spontaneous neuronal activities have been documented in several developing neural regions in both invertebrates and vertebrates, and their roles are mostly conserved among species. Among these roles, Ca(2+)  spikes and levels of electrical activity have been shown to regulate neurite growth, axon extension and axon branching. Here, we review selected findings concerning the role of spontaneous activity on circuit development.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, Japan. nobuhiko@fbs.osaka-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Nobuhiko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Guillermina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: López-Bendito
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology* / Q000254:growth & development*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D020013:Calcium Signaling / Q000502:physiology; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology; D009424:Nervous System Physiological Phenomena; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium