Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 15, 2026
09:49
Assessing Changes in Synaptic Plasticity Using an Awake Closed-Head Injury Model of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: January 20, 2023
3.6K
Synaptic Pathology in Traumatic Brain Injury and Therapeutic Insights.
Poojith Nuthalapati1,2, Sophie E Holmes1,3, Hamada H Altalib1,2,3
1Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|October 16, 2025
Summary
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) causes progressive synaptic dysfunction across acute, subacute, and chronic phases. Understanding these stages is key to developing targeted therapies for neurological deficits.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neuropathology
- Trauma Research
Background:
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI) initiates a complex cascade of neuropathological events.
- Synaptic integrity is significantly disrupted post-TBI, leading to neurological sequelae.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the distinct phases of synaptic dysfunction and loss following TBI.
- To elucidate the contribution of synaptic alterations to neurological deficits.
Main Methods:
- Review of literature on TBI-induced neuropathology.
- Analysis of synaptic changes during acute, subacute, and chronic phases post-TBI.
Main Results:
- Acute phase: Excitotoxicity, dendritic spine loss, mitochondrial dysfunction.
- Subacute phase: Continued excitotoxicity, neuroinflammation, autophagy.
- Chronic phase: Reduced synaptic density, structural remodeling, cognitive/mood deficits, epilepsy.
Conclusions:
- Synaptic dysfunction progresses through distinct phases post-TBI.
- Targeted interventions addressing phase-specific mechanisms are crucial.
- Future therapies should focus on synaptic repair and neurotransmitter modulation.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Integration of Synaptic Events
3.5K
Synaptic integration mainly includes the summation of graded potentials. Graded potentials, regardless of their type, cause subtle alterations in membrane voltage, resulting in either depolarization or hyperpolarization. These incremental changes, when combined or summed, can propel the neuron toward its threshold. Consider, for example, a membrane experiencing a +15 mV shift, causing it to depolarize from -70 mV to -55 mV. In this scenario, graded potentials govern the membrane's ability to...
3.5K
01:01Neuroplasticity
1.6K
Neuroplasticity reflects the brain's remarkable capacity to adapt and evolve, responding dynamically to learning, experiences, or injury by reorganizing its neural circuitry. This reorganization involves creating new neural connections and refining old ones through a series of biological processes that contribute to the brain's lifelong development and adaptability.
1.6K
01:09Synaptic Signaling
6.5K
Neurons communicate at synapses, or junctions, to excite or inhibit the activity of other neurons or target cells, such as muscles. Synapses may be chemical or electrical.
Most synapses are chemical, meaning an electrical impulse or action potential spurs the release of chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. The neuron sending the signal is called the presynaptic neuron, and the neuron receiving the signal is the postsynaptic neuron.
The presynaptic neuron fires an action potential that...
Most synapses are chemical, meaning an electrical impulse or action potential spurs the release of chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. The neuron sending the signal is called the presynaptic neuron, and the neuron receiving the signal is the postsynaptic neuron.
The presynaptic neuron fires an action potential that...
6.5K
01:03Long-term Depression
3.1K
Long-term depression, or LTD, is one of the ways by which synaptic plasticity—changes in the strength of chemical synapses—can occur in the brain. LTD is the process of synaptic weakening that occurs over time between pre and postsynaptic neuronal connections. The synaptic weakening of LTD works in opposition to synaptic strengthening by long-term potentiation (LTP) and together are the main mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.
Calcium Ion Concentration Mechanism
If over...
Calcium Ion Concentration Mechanism
If over...
3.1K
01:05Long-term Depression
33.1K
Long-term depression, or LTD, is one of the ways by which synaptic plasticity—changes in the strength of chemical synapses—can occur in the brain. LTD is the process of synaptic weakening that occurs over time between pre and postsynaptic neuronal connections. The synaptic weakening of LTD works in opposition to synaptic strengthening by long-term potentiation (LTP) and together are the main mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.
33.1K
01:25Long-term Potentiation
3.4K
Long-term potentiation, or LTP, is one of the ways by which synaptic plasticity—changes in the strength of chemical synapses—can occur in the brain. LTP is the process of synaptic strengthening that occurs over time between pre and postsynaptic neuronal connections. The synaptic strengthening of LTP works in opposition to the synaptic weakening of long-term depression (LTD) and together are the main mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.
Hebbian LTP
LTP can occur when...
Hebbian LTP
LTP can occur when...
3.4K