title: Activity-dependent neural plasticity from bench to bedside.
abstract: Much progress has been made in understanding how behavioral experience and neural activity can modify the structure and function of neural circuits during development and in the adult brain. Studies of physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying activity-dependent plasticity in animal models have suggested potential therapeutic approaches for a wide range of brain disorders in humans. Physiological and electrical stimulations as well as plasticity-modifying molecular agents may facilitate functional recovery by selectively enhancing existing neural circuits or promoting the formation of new functional circuits. Here, we review the advances in basic studies of neural plasticity mechanisms in developing and adult nervous systems and current clinical treatments that harness neural plasticity, and we offer perspectives on future development of plasticity-based therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology & Rehabilitation, San Francisco VA Medical Center, 4150 Clement Street, San Francisco, CA 94121, USA; Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, 400 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94122, USA. Electronic address: karunesh.ganguly@ucsf.edu.
authors.forename: Karunesh
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ganguly
authors.forename: Mu-Ming
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Poo
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000473:pathology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D006801:Humans; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*