Altered sensory experience induces targeted rewiring of local excitatory connections in mature neocortex. 2008

Claire E J Cheetham, and Martin S L Hammond, and Rachael McFarlane, and Gerald T Finnerty
Medical Research Centre for Neurodegeneration Research, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, United Kingdom.

Experience-dependent plasticity in adulthood is slower than during development. Previous experience can accelerate adult cortical plasticity. However, the contributions of functional synaptic changes and modifications in neuronal structure to the acceleration of adult cortical plasticity remain unclear. If structural remodeling was important then it should be exhibited by neuronal connections that have altered during plasticity. We trimmed rodents' whiskers to induce experience-dependent plasticity and reconstructed pairs of layer 2/3 (L2/3) pyramidal neurons after electrophysiological recording. We reported recently that local excitatory connections strengthen without a change in synapse number in cortex with retained sensory input (spared) (Cheetham et al., 2007). Here, we show that strengthened connections are rewired. The rewiring involves remodeling of the axonal arbor of excitatory connections with only minor changes in postsynaptic dendritic trees. The axonal remodeling resulted in a greater length of presynaptic axon close to postsynaptic dendrites at existing local excitatory connections in spared cortex. In control cortex, the length of axon close to dendrite in unconnected pairs of L2/3 pyramidal neurons was similar to that in synaptically connected pairs of L2/3 pyramidal neurons. This finding suggests that the probability of forming a synapse and, therefore, establishing a connection, is not driven solely by the length of axon close to dendrite. The axonal remodeling that we describe is not associated with altered synapse number, but instead increases the number of sites where synapses could be formed between synaptically connected neurons with minimal structural changes. This enables rapid and cost-efficient rewiring of local excitatory connections when re-exposed to similarly altered sensory experience in adulthood.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D009415 Nerve Net A meshlike structure composed of interconnecting nerve cells that are separated at the synaptic junction or joined to one another by cytoplasmic processes. In invertebrates, for example, the nerve net allows nerve impulses to spread over a wide area of the net because synapses can pass information in any direction. Neural Networks (Anatomic),Nerve Nets,Net, Nerve,Nets, Nerve,Network, Neural (Anatomic),Networks, Neural (Anatomic),Neural Network (Anatomic)
D009473 Neuronal Plasticity The capacity of the NERVOUS SYSTEM to change its reactivity as the result of successive activations. Brain Plasticity,Plasticity, Neuronal,Axon Pruning,Axonal Pruning,Dendrite Arborization,Dendrite Pruning,Dendritic Arborization,Dendritic Pruning,Dendritic Remodeling,Neural Plasticity,Neurite Pruning,Neuronal Arborization,Neuronal Network Remodeling,Neuronal Pruning,Neuronal Remodeling,Neuroplasticity,Synaptic Plasticity,Synaptic Pruning,Arborization, Dendrite,Arborization, Dendritic,Arborization, Neuronal,Arborizations, Dendrite,Arborizations, Dendritic,Arborizations, Neuronal,Axon Prunings,Axonal Prunings,Brain Plasticities,Dendrite Arborizations,Dendrite Prunings,Dendritic Arborizations,Dendritic Prunings,Dendritic Remodelings,Network Remodeling, Neuronal,Network Remodelings, Neuronal,Neural Plasticities,Neurite Prunings,Neuronal Arborizations,Neuronal Network Remodelings,Neuronal Plasticities,Neuronal Prunings,Neuronal Remodelings,Neuroplasticities,Plasticities, Brain,Plasticities, Neural,Plasticities, Neuronal,Plasticities, Synaptic,Plasticity, Brain,Plasticity, Neural,Plasticity, Synaptic,Pruning, Axon,Pruning, Axonal,Pruning, Dendrite,Pruning, Dendritic,Pruning, Neurite,Pruning, Neuronal,Pruning, Synaptic,Prunings, Axon,Prunings, Axonal,Prunings, Dendrite,Prunings, Dendritic,Prunings, Neurite,Prunings, Neuronal,Prunings, Synaptic,Remodeling, Dendritic,Remodeling, Neuronal,Remodeling, Neuronal Network,Remodelings, Dendritic,Remodelings, Neuronal,Remodelings, Neuronal Network,Synaptic Plasticities,Synaptic Prunings
D001931 Brain Mapping Imaging techniques used to colocalize sites of brain functions or physiological activity with brain structures. Brain Electrical Activity Mapping,Functional Cerebral Localization,Topographic Brain Mapping,Brain Mapping, Topographic,Functional Cerebral Localizations,Mapping, Brain,Mapping, Topographic Brain
D003712 Dendrites Extensions of the nerve cell body. They are short and branched and receive stimuli from other NEURONS. Dendrite
D000704 Analysis of Variance A statistical technique that isolates and assesses the contributions of categorical independent variables to variation in the mean of a continuous dependent variable. ANOVA,Analysis, Variance,Variance Analysis,Analyses, Variance,Variance Analyses
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D000831 Animals, Newborn Refers to animals in the period of time just after birth. Animals, Neonatal,Animal, Neonatal,Animal, Newborn,Neonatal Animal,Neonatal Animals,Newborn Animal,Newborn Animals
D012683 Sensory Deprivation The absence or restriction of the usual external sensory stimuli to which the individual responds. Deprivation, Sensory,Deprivations, Sensory,Sensory Deprivations
D013569 Synapses Specialized junctions at which a neuron communicates with a target cell. At classical synapses, a neuron's presynaptic terminal releases a chemical transmitter stored in synaptic vesicles which diffuses across a narrow synaptic cleft and activates receptors on the postsynaptic membrane of the target cell. The target may be a dendrite, cell body, or axon of another neuron, or a specialized region of a muscle or secretory cell. Neurons may also communicate via direct electrical coupling with ELECTRICAL SYNAPSES. Several other non-synaptic chemical or electric signal transmitting processes occur via extracellular mediated interactions. Synapse
D014738 Vibrissae Stiff hairs projecting from the face around the nose of most mammals, acting as touch receptors. Whiskers,Whisker

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