Mechanisms and function of dendritic exocytosis
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Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Automated Detection and Analysis of Exocytosis
Published on: September 11, 2021
Matthew J Kennedy1, Michael D Ehlers
1Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA. kennedy@neuro.duke.edu
Abstract:
Dendritic exocytosis is required for a broad array of neuronal functions including retrograde signaling, neurotransmitter release, synaptic plasticity, and establishment of neuronal morphology. While the details of synaptic vesicle exocytosis from presynaptic terminals have been intensely studied for decades, the mechanisms of dendritic exocytosis are only now emerging. Here we review the molecules and mechanisms of dendritic exocytosis and discuss how exocytosis from dendrites influences neuronal function and circuit plasticity.
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