title: Rho GTPase-dependent plasticity of dendritic spines in the adult brain.
abstract: Brain activity is associated with structural changes in the neural connections. However, in vivo imaging of the outer cortical layers has shown that dendritic spines, on which most excitatory synapses insist, are predominantly stable in adulthood. Changes in dendritic spines are governed by small GTPases of the Rho family through modulation of the actin cytoskeleton. Yet, while there are abundant data about this functional effect of Rho GTPases in vitro, there is limited evidence that Rho GTPase signaling in the brain is associated with changes in neuronal morphology. In the present work, both chronic in vivo two-photon imaging and Golgi staining reveal that the activation of Rho GTPases in the adult mouse brain is associated with little change of dendritic spines in the apical dendrites of primary visual cortex pyramidal neurons. On the contrary, considerable increase in spine density is observed (i) in the basal dendrites of the same neurons (ii) in both basal and apical dendrites of the hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells. While confirming that Rho GTPase-dependent increase in spine density can be substantial, the study indicates region and dendrite selectivity with relative stability of superficial cortical circuits.
authors.affiliation: Department of Therapeutic Research and Medicines Evaluation, Istituto Superiore di Sanità Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Assunta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martino
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ettorre
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Musilli
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lorenzetto
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Buffelli
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Diana
keywords: Golgi staining; Rho GTPases; brain plasticity; cytotoxic necrotizing factor 1; dendritic spines; mice; two-photon microscopy