Spine neck plasticity regulates compartmentalization of synapses
Nat Neurosci. 2014-03-23; 17(5): 678-685
DOI: 10.1038/nn.3682
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1. Nat Neurosci. 2014 May;17(5):678-85. doi: 10.1038/nn.3682. Epub 2014 Mar 23.
Spine neck plasticity regulates compartmentalization of synapses.
Tønnesen J(1), Katona G(2), Rózsa B(2), Nägerl UV(1).
Author information:
(1)1] Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience (IINS), University of
Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France. [2] UMR 5297, Centre National de la Recherche
Scientifique (CNRS), Bordeaux, France.
(2)Two-photon Imaging Center, Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Hungarian
Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.
Dendritic spines have been proposed to transform synaptic signals through
chemical and electrical compartmentalization. However, the quantitative
contribution of spine morphology to synapse compartmentalization and its dynamic
regulation are still poorly understood. We used time-lapse super-resolution
stimulated emission depletion (STED) imaging in combination with fluorescence
recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) measurements, two-photon glutamate uncaging,
electrophysiology and simulations to investigate the dynamic link between
nanoscale anatomy and compartmentalization in live spines of CA1 neurons in mouse
brain slices. We report a diversity of spine morphologies that argues against
common categorization schemes and establish a close link between
compartmentalization and spine morphology, wherein spine neck width is the most
critical morphological parameter. We demonstrate that spine necks are plastic
structures that become wider and shorter after long-term potentiation. These
morphological changes are predicted to lead to a substantial drop in spine head
excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) while preserving overall biochemical
compartmentalization.
DOI: 10.1038/nn.3682
PMID: 24657968 [Indexed for MEDLINE]