Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Morphogenesis in memory formation: synaptic and cellular mechanisms

I J Weiler1, N Hawrylak, W T Greenough

  • 1Beckman Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana, USA.

Behavioural Brain Research
|January 23, 1995
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Effects of aerobic exercise training on cognitive function and cortical vascularity in monkeys.

Neuroscience·2010
Same author

Potassium ion stimulation triggers protein translation in synaptoneurosomal polyribosomes.

Molecular and cellular neurosciences·2009
Same author

[Abnormal patterns of cortical synaptic connectivity in schizophrenia].

Vestnik Rossiiskoi akademii meditsinskikh nauk·2007
Same author

Glial limitans elasticity subjacent to the supraoptic nucleus.

Journal of neuroendocrinology·2004
Same author

Selectively enriched mRNAs in rat synaptoneurosomes.

Brain research. Molecular brain research·2004
Same author

Autism as a disorder of neural information processing: directions for research and targets for therapy.

Molecular psychiatry·2004

Environmental stimulation causes structural changes in synapses, including altered synapse number and size. Localized protein synthesis via polyribosomes is key to this synaptic plasticity.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Synaptic plasticity underlies learning and memory.
  • Environmental stimuli can induce structural changes in synapses.
  • Postsynaptic polyribosomal aggregates (PRA) are linked to developmental plasticity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review evidence for structural synaptic changes due to environmental stimulation.
  • To discuss the role of localized protein synthesis in synaptic plasticity.
  • To investigate the molecular mechanisms regulating protein synthesis at the synapse.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on synaptic structural changes.
  • Histological correlation of postsynaptic polyribosomal aggregates with plasticity.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Experimental use of synaptoneurosomes to study protein synthesis.
  • Biochemical assays measuring methionine incorporation and calcium levels.

    • Main Results:

    • Environmental stimulation induces changes in synapse number, vesicle distribution, bouton size, and contact zone morphology.
    • Increased postsynaptic polyribosomal aggregates (PRA) correlate with developmental plasticity.
    • Depolarization rapidly increases PRA and protein synthesis in synaptoneurosomes.
    • Metabotropic glutamate receptors initiate this process via phosphatidyl inositol hydrolysis, Ca2+ release, and protein kinase C activation.
    • External Ca2+ influx downregulates polyribosomal aggregation through a calmodulin-dependent mechanism.

    Conclusions:

    • Synaptic structural plasticity is influenced by environmental stimuli.
    • Dendritically targeted mRNAs and polyribosomes enable rapid, localized protein synthesis for structural modification.
    • Protein translation at the synapse is dynamically regulated by a complex interplay of different receptor types and calcium signaling pathways.